Emperor
by Yuki Amane
Summary: Set 13 years after the failed mission to rescue Sasuke. Naruto's the leader of a village he had founded. shonenai
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: Naruto is not mine.

Warnings: OOC, a lot of OCs, shonen-ai (probably)

A/N: Remember to review!

Dragging his badly injured body out of the busy hospital, he proceeded to head back to his shabby apartment. Normally, one would have been hospitalized in his condition, but not him. He had always avoided the hospital. It was not because of the hateful glares he would receive from the staff, patients or visitors. It was also not due to the possible 'accidents' that would suddenly happen to him. It was ironic though that the place where one was supposed to be able to heal properly would cause him more injuries. The reason he shunned that place was the depression that would weigh on his soul. He could take any physical injuries since the unwilling tenant in his stomach would heal him. He would even welcome death more. He just couldn't take the despair. He had failed – failed to rescue his team-mate, the one he considered his rival and best friend, from the lies of that snaky freak; failed in fulfilling the promise he made to the girl he liked, and failed the leader of his village as well, the person he loved as a sister; but most of all, he had failed his village. Stubborn tears clung to the edge of his normally bright blue eyes. He had his head down – the very image of despondency.

"Naruto!" suddenly, a sharp female voice called out to him, pulling him out of desolation.

The blonde haired boy forced a smile onto his face. "Saku…"

Slap!

"You freak! I heard from my mother; you are the nine-tailed demon. You have killed so many people in the past and now, you must be the reason Sasuke did not want to stay. You chased Sasuke away!"

Naruto froze. He couldn't move, couldn't defend himself. His wide eyes stared unblinkingly at the tear-streaked face of the girl in front of him. As much as he blamed himself, he still couldn't believe that Sakura-chan would treat him like this. Unknowing to him, the tears he had tried so hard not to let fall escaped his eyes and streamed down his face. In the distant, he could hear the sound of something breaking. Thousands of needles stabbed into his heart. He couldn't register anything else; not the fact that the villagers had joined in in blaming him for every single thing that had gone wrong in their lives, not that they had started throwing things at him – trash, vegetables, eggs, and even shuriken and stones.

Suddenly, something very hard hit the side of his head. The sudden pain brought him to his already weakened knees. His tears were unstoppable, not that he could even think of stopping them. Warm thick crimson liquid turned his sight red, but he did not wipe them away. Distant sharp pains were felt all over his body, yet he ignored them as well.

"Hahahaha…!" Out of the blue, a peel of laughter rang in his ears. Who did that empty laughs belonged to? Why was that person so sad? The voice sounded familiar. Of course it did; it was his! "Hahaha…!" His hollow laughs turned into choked sobs.

At the devastating sight, Sakura was startled out of her own despairing rage. She stared wide-eyed at her team-mate. "Na…" The name couldn't form on her tongue. Guilt ate away at her. "I…"

"What happened here?" the leader of the villagers asked in a loud voice, finally stopping the riot. When she saw the bloodied boy kneeling in the middle of the street, her stern expression turned to one of horror. "Naruto!"

Naruto stopped laughing. He turned to look at the Hokage. "Baa-cha…" His voice was too faint to be heard at the end. The familiar face in front of him swam. It was becoming blurred. Spots of blacks appeared in his vision. Soon, all he could see was black. The sounds were becoming faint until they disappeared. His body was falling and falling, until he couldn't feel anything at all – nothing except the pain of his heart breaking.

"Naruto!"

A young adult sprang awake from the bed in the darkened lavish room. His damp clothes clung to his body; the wet locks to his head and framed his face. He lifted his hand to wipe away the sweats on his face. His breathed in deep a few times to calm himself down. His rapid heartbeats slowed to a normal rhythm.

Knock! Knock!

His sharp eyes turned towards the door. They glowed eerily in the dark. "Come in." His voice was brusque, with not a drop of warmth inside.

A man dressed casually walked in and knelt down in front of him. "It is morning now, Emperor."

The young man in bed nodded his head. He got up and strode towards the bathroom. After a shower, he was revitalized. He dressed in an ordinary dark red garb; one that would allow him freedom to move or fight. A glance in the mirror showed a young handsome face with a head of whitish blond hair. There were nine thin crimson streaks in his hair. A face that any men would kill for and any women would be crazy over.

However, a glimpse at his eyes would have scared even the bravest man into wetting his pants. There was nothing abnormal with them; no third eye, no bizarre pupils, no odd colour – nothing anomalous about them. In fact his eyes were a beautiful blue colour; as blue as the spring sky. It was the intensity of his gaze that the others couldn't endure – as if he could see through their physical essence and psyche into their souls to judge them. Most importantly, they could see the cold flames of Hell in his eyes – pains, sufferings, despair, hopelessness, misery and bleakness; they could see them in the windows to his soul. The once cheerful prankster was no more.

Walking out into his room, he looked at the man, who was his wake-up call, putting the last pillow on top of the tidy pile. With the curtain drawn, the room was bright; the morning sunlight lit up the former dark room, chasing away the gloomy atmosphere. Although the room was spacious, it held simple furniture and decorations – a king-sized bed, a closet, and a set of new-looking sofas with a classy coffee table in the middle. All fabrics in the room were crimson in colour. The light blue wallpapers and a few pots of money plants completed the room. There was no flowers, no arts, no photos – some would probably consider this room bare and not lived-in. To him, this was sanctuary. A comfortable haven after a trying day, a place he could be alone with his thoughts.

"Emperor, the congress had called for an audience with you," the man said, giving a deep bow.

He raised his eyebrows slightly. The congress would never call for a meeting with him directly. Usually, all matters were directed to Kage. Only urgent matters were to consult him directly – for example, wars. He doubted that any other villages would declare war with them since no outsiders knew of the location of their village. It might sound absurd, but it was the truth. He founded this village, which was built on a very strategic island. With the fresh soil here, it was suitable for planting rice and other types of vegetables. Since it was an island, the villagers also depended on the rich sea for their livings.

Even though this island might be a big source of income for the village, it was not the town. The village town was in Kagekagure, the former poor town that had now prospered under his guide. It was famous for its weapons; but the food markets were busy everyday from morning till sunset as well. Ask anyone and they would tell you that the weapons were of the best quality and there was also an abundance of fresh foods to buy, especially rice and seafood. Though, they would also relayed their confusions and curiosities over how the town bounced back from poverty and ruins into the illustrious settlement it was today; and how the town had been safe from the greedy hands when it had not even a shinobi. Some would probably laugh at the ironic reality – a town famous for its quality weapons having no one that could wield them.

That was true. Kagekagure was not a shinobi village. At least, it was supposedly not a shinobi village. To the outsiders, it was just a normal flourishing hamlet. To him and the villagers, the public Kagekagure was the town where they did business; where anyone with money and no intentions for crimes or violence were welcomed. Behind this public stage, was their real village, and that was this island. Their village was true to its name: Kagekagure; kage meaning shadow. The island was the shadow behind the town. He, the true leader hid behind his shadow, Kage, who made appearances in public as the Kagedaime of Kagekagure. Only his loyal people knew of this. When he said loyal, he meant loyal; and that was comprised of all the villagers and no foreigner.

One might say that he was too naïve to think that the villagers would truly be loyal, that they would turn and stabbed him in the back as soon as he fell from the pedestal. He knew they wouldn't. Every single entity in Kagekagure owed him for their lives, and for what they had today. They had sworn fealty to him. Even if someday, someone woke up and suddenly had the idea of betraying him or the village, he had taken measures to make sure that the traitor would not succeed. His power in Kagekagure was absolute.

"Delay my earlier plans for today," he ordered to the waiting man. "And Itsuki, tell Kage to be prepared to take over my duties if the meeting exceeds an hour." Itsuki was his personal secretary and also his chief guard. He held command over his twelve guards and five other troops of guards. Those five troops were the sentinels for the four members of the congress and Kage. Each troop consisted of twelve guards headed by one chief guard that reported back to Itsuki and from Itsuki to him.

"Hai!"

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: Refer to previos page.

A/N: Please review.

The sounds of the birds chirping in the early cold morning coupled with the clear blue sky shed a serene ambience over the island, if one ignored the busy labourers.

The farmers were hard at work, the fishermen out at sea, the sentries not letting their guards down. Women were busy cleaning and cooking for the whole village. Not even the children were spared; they did their parts as well – learning in academies. The teenagers were apprenticing under different masters with diverse but equally significant skills. It was another hectic day on the Kagekagure Island, or Kage-I, as the villagers dubbed.

In the middle of the island, a tall tower was set apart from the rest of the short and simple buildings. There were sentries placed all around and in the tower. It was obvious that this was an important edifice. High up in the tower, there was a solemn room that had such a different atmosphere that it could be from another world altogether. The tension in it was suffocating.

"I say we ignore the missive. It had nothing to do with Kagekagure," a young man's impatient voice could be heard from the room.

Emperor, who had just arrived in time to hear the comment, raised his eyebrows slightly. He nodded to all the guards that had bowed to him in respect distractedly. As the door was opened for him, he strode in.

All conversations stopped. The four young men stood up and bowed. "Emperor."

He waved their formal greetings away. Sitting down on his chair, he indicated the four members of the congress to take their seats as well. Itsuki immediately poured him a cup of hot milk tea and proceeded to reverse out of the room, closing the door.

"It seemed that I would need a new sound proof room. I could hear you from the outside," Emperor commented casually.

The four men froze for a second before apologizing frantically. Since they did it at the same time with no synchronization, their words overlapped the others. At the impassive face of their leader, they stopped their futile attempt with just one "We're sorry" and recomposed themselves.

Ignoring them, he looked around his office – another spacious but simple room. With his long desk placed to one side, and a set of comfortable sofas to the other, left enough space for a long rectangle table; yet there was still plenty of space to move around. Arranged neatly from the top to bottom wall racks, were all sizes of books and files. If one did not pay attention to the seals drawn onto the racks, one would think that all the books and documents were unimportant since they were displayed in plain sight.

Like his bedroom, his office was not decorated much; a comfortable apple green walls and a few pots of the same plants – money trees. His office was as organized and spotless as his bedroom. Even his working desk was orderly; with only a pen holder and a few files.

One of the congress members cleared his throat. "Emperor, there was a missive from Amegakure yesterday evening with an offer for an alliance with us for the coming war." Matsuda, 27, the Weaponry Congressman of Kagekagure, was not originated from this village. He met Emperor ten years ago when he was just a street peasant in a small poor community. He had been living on foods and anything else that he had either stolen or scavenged from the rubbish dumps. He was just a discarded filthy lad that Emperor had offered his hand to even after he had tried to steal from him. He might not be able to recall the name of the street where they had met, but he would never forget the hand stretched out to him – so clean in comparison to his. The moment he touched that warm hand that did not flinch away like the others, he had sworn to follow him to the end of the world. The next few years were torture but he did not give up - under Emperor's patient guide he had shed his skin and truly left the past behind.

"They request for an unlimited supply of food and weapons in return for not attacking our 'weak' village," the oldest amongst the five, Shishida, 30, stressed the word weak. He had an amused glint in his brown eyes. With a head of unkempt hair and a face of unshaved scruffy beards, he looked more like a bandit leader than the Rations Congressman that he was. That was probably because he used to be one before Emperor saved his life from those backstabbing traitors. After that, they went their separate ways. He was a poor farmer when the fateful letter came. He packed and came here.

"I still say we ignore it," the youngest member crossed his arms insolently. "Who are they to demand such an unfair 'alliance'? It is more a blackmail." Takumi was born in Kagekagure 21 years ago. He spent a year of happy childhood before his parents died from a plague. Sent to his aunt and uncle, he was not only neglected, but also abused. When Emperor found him, he was being held down and was about to be raped by one of the clients his uncle found. He was so used to it that he did not struggle at all. In fact, after the first and second time when he was only five, he never cried, never pleaded to be spared anymore, not even once. Yet, the moment his eyes met the stranger that was standing in the doorway, tears gathered in his eyes. He stretched his left arm out to the stranger as if for help. Something in him told him that he would be saved this time, everything would finally be alright, and he was not proven wrong. Today, he was the well-liked Consultant that every villager went to with their problems. With his long straight black hair that contrasted with his fair depositions, and a pair of large dark blue eyes, he was famous amongst both genders even though none knew his preference.

Shishida rolled his eyes. "It IS blackmail."

Takumi glared at the bear. "I know that."

"Sure you do." Shishida chuckled, ignoring the mental knives directed straight to his heart from the young Consultant's eyes.

"Maa…maa…Both of you, don't start. We're having a serious meeting here. Look, even Emperor was not amused by you routine show," said a smiling man.

Shishida stopped his teasing while Takumi settled down straight away. Shin was certainly not a man any would want to cross. As much as he smiled, which was non-stop, he was also most probably plotting your demise in his devilish mind; not to mention none dared to anger Emperor.

"As much as I agreed with Takumi, we do have to consider this matter thoroughly before making a hasty decision. If we rejected the offer, our correlation with Amegakure, Yukigakure and Otogakure, not to mention the small villages that had allied with them, would suffer. Even if we do not count the impact that this would have on our economy, we had to consider the threat all of them combined to our security." His smile never left his face even when his voice was grave. Shin, 26, was the Diplomat of Kagekagure. With his long silky silver hair that was tied up at the top with a red ribbon, a pair of pupiless white eyes, and a charming smile, hordes of women had been known to stalk him everywhere until a decree was established against it. "After all, we are 'weak'." His smile widened. Chakra flowed steadily from him. His white eyes had three black comas swirling in them.

"Weak or not, we will not get involved with unnecessary wars," the verdict was delivered.

"Even if their targets are Konohagakure and Sunagakure?" Shin asked.

The other three stiffened. Shin had always been the only one that dared to rebuke or question Emperor besides Itsuki.

The pokerfaced Emperor's mouth tightened a little. Other than that, there was no change.

The audience couldn't decide between feeling relieved or disappointed – relieved for not incurring his wrath, or disappointed for they had never seen his expressions changed in all the years they knew him.

"Konoha and Suna are no concern of ours. Kagekagure have no diplomatic relation with either one."

"But Konoha is your birthplace."

In the background, Takumi signalled to Shin to stop provoking their leader but was ignored.

"…banned from Konoha!"

"He had done nothing!"

"He is the nine-tailed demon!"

"And he had caused Sasuke…"

"Sasuke is now a traitor!"

"And he is the reason!"

"He did nothing…"

From the dark recesses of his mind, he could hear voices shouting back and forth. He blocked out the voices. He couldn't remember where he was or why his body was feeling tired. He attempted to open his eyes, but the light stabbed into them mercilessly. He immediately closed them again. He made a new effort to move his limbs, but none obeyed him. He couldn't move an inch! _What…? This can't be happening! Move! I said, move, you idiot! _No matter how he struggled, there was not a twitch. Terror that he had never felt before stormed his chaotic heart. He opened his mouth, "…" He couldn't produce a single sound.

"Hokage-sama, Uzumaki is awake," a voice cut through all the arguments.

Immediately, all attentions turned towards the still form on the hospital bed.

Naruto forced his eyes open. He refused to let the burning light defeat him. "Ba…" Finally, he managed to utter a syllable. He tried again. " Baa-ch…" He was overwhelmed by a severe coughing fit. A coppery taste filled his taste buds.

"Naruto, don't talk. You are still too weak." Tsunade was instantly at his side, checking his condition.

Naruto ignored her advice. "Baa-chan, I couldn't move," he complained weakly. Baa-chan was the best medic nin in the world. She would be able to figure out what was wrong and heal him. After all, she had healed Lee.

Tsunade's eyes were brimming with tears. Her hands tightened their holds on Naruto's shoulders.

"Baa-chan? What's wrong? You have to heal me. Baa-chan?" A hint of panic crept into his voice. He coughed out more blood.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Her voice at the end broke.

Naruto froze. What did that mean? "Baa-chan, don't joke with me."

"Naruto, listen to me carefully." Tsunade forced herself to calm down. Her brother needed her right now, not her tears. "The council elders …"

Naruto held his breath. Anything involving him and the council elders would be devastating to him.

"Those bastards! They…" she choked on her sobs. "They damaged your nerve system. You would not be able to move all your lif…" She couldn't force the last word out.

"You could heal me, ne, Baa-chan? Right?" Naruto was panicking. He couldn't think of anything else. "Heal me!"

"I'm so sorry. Your nerve system is beyond repair." She couldn't look into Naruto's eyes. What use were her medic skills now? What best medic nin? What Hokage? All bullshit! She was as helpless as she was back then. She couldn't save the man she loved. She couldn't save her innocent brother. And now, she couldn't even save Naruto, the boy that she loved like a brother.

Naruto was silent. There was no tears, no sounds. He was just silent. How one sentence could push him straight into Hell? Not being able to move for the rest of his life? Why did they not kill him? Did they hate him so much that they would sentence him to a life worse than death? Where was the despair that he was so afraid of? Where was the loneliness he had fought to keep away? He would welcome them now with open arms. Please just don't take away his ability to move! Please!

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are banned from Konoha. A team of Anbu will send you out," an old man announced gleefully.

"No! As a Hokage…" Tsunade immediately protested.

"Tsunade-hime, do not forget that we have the right to revoke your title. As a Hokage, you have a duty to Konoha, not a single boy."

Tsunade sat down heavily. Why? Had Naruto not suffered enough? Did they have to see him die before they were satisfied? She stared at her clenched fists. If that was the case, then she…Two faces flashed before her eyes, both smiling while declaring that they would become Hokage in the future. Would they still want this position? The answer was clear: they would die for their village. She did not budge from her position, not even when Anbus came and carried Naruto out on a stretcher.

Naruto did not protest. He did not give any reactions at all, not when he saw Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei fought against the Hunter nins to get to him, not even when Iruka-sensei was injured severely and dropped into a dead faint. Deep inside, he had already known that they would not succeed, because as hard as they tried, they still avoided injuring the opponents too severely.

Two lines of villagers and shinobis had formed to see with their own eyes that their personal demon would finally be dealt with.

Only one more step before they stepped out of the gate. Naruto gave the on-lookers a hollow smile. "I will survive." His last sentence was swept away by the wind. The softly spoken words went unheard by anyone. But his smile would remain in every audience's mind forever.

"The past has no place in the present." Leaving behind that sentence that had struck a cord within each of them, he opened the heavy doors and walked away.

Silence reigned in the room. Emperor's words had brought back memories of their own pasts.

"I guess he is right. But can he stay true to his own words? He is, after all, just a human," with that, Shin got up and left with a satisfied smile. He had gotten the answer he wanted.

The last three men stared after Shin.

"I really don't understand him. What's the purpose of asking that question? And that last sentence; what was he trying to say?" Takumi screamed in frustration.

"Saa…" Shishida shrugged his shoulders. In his heart, he understood why Shin did what he had done – to confirm Emperor's stand. After all, they had all grown attached to this place; a place where they could call home after searching for so many years. Personally, he would pursue Emperor anywhere, but the thought of leaving killed a part of him. He might not know how the other two felt, but he knew that Shin was the same. In fact, he would probably be the first to pack. He was that attached to Emperor. None of them knew his story, but he was sure there was one; one that was as bad as any of theirs, probably worse. However, that was not his place to ask. His eyes met another pair of jade green eyes. He shared an understanding smile with Matsuda.

"Come on, we still have lots of works to do," Matsuda prompted the two. As he took a step, Takumi's sentence startled him into stopping.

"But I am glad that Emperor made that decision."

Matsuda smiled. "Yes." It seemed the young Takumi was not as oblivious as they thought. "So am I. So am I."

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers: Refer to the first page. 

A/N: I would be slow at updating cause there are lots of assignments and tests the next two weeks. Sorry. Thanks for your reviews, guys. I love you all. Please review again! I want your input.

The rain pelted his face mercilessly. His eyes hurt from the sensation, but he refused to close them. He needed the pain to remind himself that he was still alive. He opened his mouth to drink the god-sent water. It felt heavenly to his parched throat.

How many days had it been since the day he was dumped in this thick forest? Three? Five? Or was it more than a week? He had lost count. Every second was agony, but he did not give up. He forbade himself from giving in. There had not been a moment that he did not wish for death, yet his stubbornness pushed him on.

Suddenly, he heard something apart from the rain. A hissing sound was very near to his left ear. He stayed silent. A fat green snake glided onto his face. In his heart, he prayed hard. His prayer was answered. The snake slithered nearer and nearer to his mouth. As the much anticipated second came, he opened his mouth and swiftly bit the snake and tore into its meat. The snake retaliated but he ignored it since he couldn't feel any pain. The bites might be poisonous but what did that matter? He had been poisoned so many times in the past yet he was still breathing. Of course, back then he had Kyuubi's recovery power to cure him and now, he did not. However, his body had become immune to most poisons as a side effect.

Speaking of that cursed nine-tailed demon, his rage swept over his entire being. After the Anbu team had abandoned him here, he had gone to Kyuubi for help. Only then did he realize that even if he was in his mind, he couldn't move as well – he was a cripple there too. That discovery had crushed his last hope. He had considered waiting for death, but immediately rejected it. In the end, he had done everything that he could to survive. When it rained, he would drink until it stopped. When anything came near enough to his mouth, he would pounce – it made no difference what it was; animal or insect. It was pathetic but the most important point was; he survived.

Day changed into night and back to day. This repetitive cycle did not stop. There was still no change to his condition. How much longer could he endure? He did not have the answer. But he knew one thing; his already weakened strength was slowly but steadily sucked out of him. The culprit was the seal on his stomach. He had no knowledge of why this was happening now, but he knew if this continued, he would die sooner or later. Would his pitiful life ended here, in the middle of nowhere? A bitter smile appeared. He was really useless. He couldn't even keep the promise he had made to himself the day he was banned.

Rain came and went. He had stopped eating; not because he did not want to, because he had no strength left. He wondered why Kyuubi did not escape. The seal was almost non-existent by now. A weak baby could have broken through, so why…

Out of the blue, immense pain stabbed into every single part of his body – hands, legs, fingers, mouth, ears, eyes; none was spared. A scream of pure agony rang throughout the dense forest. All birds flew away to safety; animals fled as fast as they could.

There were only trees and grasses that bore witness to the horrific scene. Blood seeped out from every pore on him, including his ears, mouth and eyes. His feet were the first to disintegrate into more dark crimson blood and spread higher. Soon the nightmare-inducing scream stopped. All that was left behind was the crimson puddle.

Everything was peaceful again. The serene sound of birds chirping melodiously returned. The normal life in the forest resumed.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Knock! Knock!

Emperor did not raise his head from the documents he was reading. "Come in."

The heavy door opened to reveal his Chief Guard. "Emperor-sama," Itsuki bowed.

He looked up to meet Itsuki's guarded eyes. Something was wrong. He could feel the concern that was coming in waves from the lean man.

"The congress has asked for another audience with you."

His expression did not change. He had expected this. After Ame's messenger was sent back, Konoha or Suna's envoy would be next.

"An emissary from Konoha was in the town requesting to meet with Kage-sama," he dropped the bombshell.

He met his secretary's watchful eyes steadily. He was not sure what Itsuki expected from him, but he had a suspicion. "Tell them to come in in half an hour."

"Hai." Itsuki showed as much reaction as his leader, which was nothing. Closing the door on his way out, he turned and said to the man leaning casually on the wall in one dark corner near Emperor's office, "He did not react at all." He watched as the Diplomat strolled away. "Meeting in half an hour!" he called out.

Shin waved his hand to indicate that he had heard it without turning. The degree of his trademark smile had diminished. Worries flooded his heart. He was not anxious about the envoy, but rather another matter that he had just received news of, an hour ago. He was apprehensive of Emperor's reactions when he was told. _Damn Konoha! Why do they have to interfere with their lives? They do not deserve him! _Long nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The anxiety in the office was as high as the sky. None of them wanted to be there right now.

Takumi signalled Shin to start the meeting. They had been sitting there for more than ten minutes now. Although the room was cool, his clothes were drenched in his sweat.

Seeing as Emperor was not going to start talking anytime soon, nor was Shin going to do as Takumi wanted, Matsuda took it upon himself to get the busy Emperor's attention. He cleared his throat.

Emperor looked up from the documents he was engrossed in. "You can talk. I'm listening." He went back to reading the documents.

Matsuda glanced at Shin, his eyes pleading.

Shin smiled widely at the Weaponry Congressman. Other than that, he did nothing.

Seeing as how Shishida and Takumi avoided his gaze, Matsuda cursed all three of them. "We received an envoy from Konoha two hours ago. He requested to meet directly with Kage-sama, but we have not yet given him an answer. We want your permission to escort him out of Kagekagure."

Emperor set aside his works. "Shin, you're the Diplomat, deal with it."

"Hai! Hai!" Shin obeyed cheerfully. He returned his three comrades' hateful and accusing glares with a wide innocently charming smile. It seemed he was getting lots of these lately. Three red comas appeared in his otherwise white pupil-less eyes. "The place where Chunin Exam will be held this year had been decided."

"And?" Emperor asked. Knowing Shin, he would wait for however long it took to get a reaction out of him. If he did not push him to continue, they would all be sitting there for hours.

"Konoha; the Chunin Exam will be held in Konoha a month from now."

Silence met the Diplomat's announcement. Tension was visibly mounting in the room. Even Shin's smile had become stiff. The only one maintaining his composure was Emperor. It was as if he had expected it.

"Why don't we abort our original plan? I mean, we have our own exam system here. There is no need to take part in the Chunin Exam in another village," Takumi was the first to break the silence. _Especially so when that village is Konoha, _he added in his heart.

Matsuda wanted to agree with the younger congress member. However, he was not as impulsive as him. He understood why Emperor had made this plan 8 years ago.

As for Shishida, he might not understand much about politics, but he knew the importance of appearances. When possible enemies viewed you as stronger than them, they would think twice before attacking. When they feared you, you had already won half the battle.

"That is not possible, Takumi. The attacks from bandits have been increasing these few years. Although none of the larger villages have made movements, sooner or later they will send envoys like Ame and Konoha. Some may even attempt an invasion. We need to reveal part of our strength to keep this from happening," Shin explained patiently. "Besides, the Chunin Exam is the best place to form strong and beneficial alliances. To tell the truth, Konoha and Suna would have been good allies if not for the possible war." _Or the past, his past,_ he added in his heart. He knew the other four caught what he had left unsaid. His eyes met those of Emperor's.

"Then which villages or countries do you want to ally with?" Takumi might dislike the mention of both villages; but he was more interested in the future their own village was aiming for. He was tired of hearing Kagekagure being mocked by foreigners.

"Iwagakure and Kirigakure. I have received news that Tsuchikage and Mizukage are attending the exam this time. They have not formed alliances with either Konoha or Oto. This will be the perfect opportunity to observe them."

"Iwa has a violent past with Konoha," Matsuda stated, a frown on his face. "A large number of their shinobi were slain by Yondaime in the war; they must still be carrying a grudge. Iwa is not an ally of Konoha. But Tsuchikage's presence in the exam is suspicious. It is possible that Iwa and Konoha may sign a treaty in the future."

"Or Iwa has already allied with Oto and something is going to happen during the Chunin exam. That is also likely," Shishida added his input.

"Actually, that is more likely the case." Shin's smile widened. "That is why I said it is the best opportunity to observe."

"What about Kiri? Is it wise to ally with them?" Takumi frowned. "It has been dubbed 'the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist' for its practice of pitting trainees against one another in order to make them into emotionless killing machines."

"Aah…You forget that this method had been cut short after Zabuza Momochi, who had failed to pass the preliminary exam to even attend the shinobi academy, went mad and killed all of the students in that year's graduating class." Shin turned to look out the window at their busy village. "Besides, who are we to judge their method?"

Matsuda closed his eyes. "Who are we indeed."

Silence descended on the group as each was immersed in their own thoughts.

This time it was Emperor that broke the silence. "Our system might be inhumane, but I implemented it for a reason. If it was not for it, we would not be here now. Kagekagure would have been eradicated years ago. It was already on its path to ruins when I came."

Takumi sighed. "Yes, the situation then was terrible. If it went on, I doubt Kagekagure would still exist today."

"Besides, those that chose to stay here knew and accepted the system. It was not as if we lied to them. They agreed with open eyes." Shishida stood up and walked towards the window. He stopped just a couple of inches away. Turning around to face them with his arms widely spread, he said, "Look where the system had gotten us today."

Takumi nodded his head. "None of the villagers regret it; neither do I. In fact the original villagers are all very grateful till this day. Our birthplace which we had begun to hate is now the home we will gladly give our lives for. It was not only us, but the entire villagers share the same sentiment."

Shishida sat back down on his chair. "Even those on KJ agree."

Emperor leaned back. His mind turned towards KJ. Short for Kage no Jigoku, it was the true training ground of their village. KJ was located on another island which was linked to this one. If one knew where to look, they could get there on feet; and the journey was only half a day for normal people; for them, it would not even take an hour to get there. True to its name, the trainees would suffer every single moment. Those that could not go on or had given up would immediately be cast out of Kagekagure after a seal, which would prevent them from mentioning anything about the village, was performed on them.

What was deemed inhumane was the fact that the training, which was more suitable for adult assassins, was only for children; children that had not even reached adolescent yet. From age four, they would be sent to the academy for the basic learning; like language, math, and history and so on. At their seventh birthdays, they would be sent off to KJ.

There were altogether three levels of training. For the first two years, they would only be trained in basic shinobi training, Level 1. After the two honeymoon years, the real training began, which is Level 2. If they persevere until age twelve, then they would be considered full citizens ranked chunin. They could now apply for apprenticeship in whichever fields they were interested in. After their Masters deemed them finished training, they could finally work in the fields they had chosen.

For those that wished to continue training, they could apply to proceed to the next level, Level 3. They had to train for 5 years. Then they would be tested. If they failed, they could either choose for apprenticeship or went for the second chance and trained for another 3 years before taking the exam again. They had 3 chances altogether. If they failed all the three times, then they had no choice but went for apprenticeship.

Those that passed the Level three exam, Exam 1, would be ranked as Jonin Rank 2. They would only be accepted as normal guards though. When they had garnered two years experience, they could apply to sit for Exam 2. If they failed, they would just go back to their original post until the exam the following year. For this, there was no limit of times they could take the test. If they passed, they could now be promoted or apply for the more dangerous professions like assassins, hunters, messengers, or KS (shinobi for hire), and many others. They would be Jonin Rank 1. To be further promoted to Jonin Rank S, they would have to get at least 10 awards from him. None had managed this so far.

However, the age and years of training were only guidelines. Those that were considered talented or full of potentials could be exempted if it was recommended by their trainers. They could take the tests straightaway if they wanted to.

(A/N: I have the whole rank map done, but found out that I couldn't post it up here. SOB If you couldn't understand, tell me; send me your e-mail address and I will send the document to you.)

"We will carry on with the original plan. Get the troop ready. I will be going as well, as a guard."

Shock met Emperor's announcement.

Takumi spluttered, "But…but…" he couldn't spit his sentence out.

Shin nodded his head. "Hai. I will arrange everything then."

Takumi swirled to stare unbelievingly at Shin. That's all he was going to say? When he saw the smiling face, he knew he wouldn't be able to get any answer out of him. A glance at the resigned Matsuda, and stoic Shishida; finally he admitted defeat. Glaring down at his own hands, he clenched his fists tightly.

"This meeting is adjourned then. Shin, call Itsuki to come in for me." Emperor got up and walked towards the window. He stood staring out at the peaceful view of their busy village.

"Emperor-sama," Itsuki called out softly. The back of his leader looked so powerful, yet at the same time, lonely.

"Call Yami back. She will be the Kage-dairi while Kage and I were gone from the village."

Itsuki froze. _Gone? _"Hai."

"And get the guards ready. Shin would be coming as well."

"Hai." He retreated out the room, leaving the lonely figure standing there.

To be continued...

A/N: How do you like chapter? Tell me so I can improve.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimers: Refer to the first page.

A/N: Credits all go to me, but blame my beta for all the little mistakes you can find! Hahaha... I hope this is not nightmare inducing. But anyway, please have fun reading and don't forget to review!

The sky was very blue that day. Clear clouds had formed many shapes; arrows, cups, hearts, houses, and some that couldn't be distinguished. A flock of birds were flying freely in a formation. Far away, a falcon swooped down suddenly and caught its prey, a rat, then flew away. The sudden burst of action had alarmed two squirrels into hiding, dropping their chestnuts in their panic. A few feet away in a lake, a frog that was on a big leaf caught an insect with its long tongue. Drawing the captured prey into its mouth, the frog leapt into the water, right into the mouth of an alligator. The activities in the green forest never ceased. There were lives everywhere; everywhere except a spot in the denser part of the jungle.

The barren spot was five feet wide. Brown grasses lay dead, their roots still in the ground, intact. It looked like a fierce storm had laid them dead. Trees were still standing; not a single leaf on them. The brown leaves were gathered under these foliage. It was as if life was sucked out of them, leaving them lifeless.

Whatever that was happening had not stopped yet. The terrible effect was spreading further. Animals; big or small; could be seen scampering away. Those that had not escaped in time froze for a few seconds before dropping dead as a pile of bones. The speed it was spreading was getting faster, but slowed down after it had consumed tens of acres of the forest, and finally stopped.

In the middle of the now barren land laid a puddle of blackish crimson blood. Out of the blue, a bloody hand protruded out of that puddle, followed by another. The pair of hands struggled to hold onto something, anything. Using the ground as leverage, the hand pushed the rest of the body out. It was as if instead of a puddle, it was actually a deep hole filled with blood that someone could climb out from. The figure was slim, and definitely a young boy. His features were indistinguishable since every single inch of him was covered by dark red blood. As soon as the last foot was out, he collapsed onto his face, his breathing shallow and laboured.

In his exhausted and half-conscious state, he heard the sound of footsteps coming nearer to him. Someone seemed to be talking from far away. He would have raised his heavy head to look for the source of the sounds if he could, but he had used up all his energy to escape from that horrific emptiness. The most he could manage was to open his eyes. The first thing that met his sight was a blurry image of the earth. He could feel his body being turned over tentatively. As his sight did not get clearer, he could only guess that it was a man's face that was staring down at him. Was that a concerned look on his face? Impossible! No one cared. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he slowly lost consciousness.

"Boy….boy…" was the last thing he heard before he was fully immersed in the silent world.

The next time he regained consciousness, he could feel himself moving. The sound of wood wheels spinning was loud in his ears. He was lying on something hard. His eyes opened to reveal to him the light blue sky above him. He tried to turn sideway so that he could determine where he was but found that his whole body was secured to whatever he was lying on. He opened his mouth to speak but was overwhelmed by a stab of pain. His vision darkened and he once again lost consciousness.

The sounds of children shouting and laughing woke him up. As he opened his eyes, a ray of sunlight nearly blinded him. He quickly shut them again. He heard the sound of doors closing. The heat from the sunlight disappeared.

"You can open your eyes now," a gentle voice told him.

The first thing he saw was the kind face of a middle-aged man. He was smiling at him tenderly. "Wh..Where a…m I?" he managed to croak out.

"Don't worry, your vocal cords will return to normal after a couple of days. You are now in my hut in Jidougakure, a very small rural village in Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire). I am Ten, the healer of this village. One of the villagers saw you in the forest when he was collecting wood and brought you in. You were unconscious for a week due to exhaustion. Rest well and you should be fine." He patted the boy comfortingly before exiting the room. "I will get you something to drink."

Staring after the healer, the newly awakened boy did not say anything. _Fine? _He laughed bitterly in his heart. _How would I ever be fine? I couldn't even feel my own bod… _At his thought, he was shocked to find that was no longer true. He could feel his body! He had felt the pats Ten had given him, the bed he was lying on and the heat in the room; everything! He sucked in a deep breath to calm his growing excitement. Then he proceeded to try to move his fingers. They were moving! True, his reaction was very slow; what would have taken a normal person less than a second took him six seconds to react. However, he was not discouraged. As long as he could move, he believed that with more practices, he would truly be fine. A tear of happiness and relief rolled down his face.

"Hahaha…! I've never seen a boy crying. Wimpy!"

At the laugh, he swivelled his head towards the door. There were two children around his age standing in the doorway; one was holding his stomach, still laughing, the other tugging at the sleeve of his companion, an apologetic glance directed at him. Reflexively, he yelled, or at least tried to, "I'm not!"

His attempt only caused the rude boy to laugh harder. "Wahaha! A frog! We have an overgrown frog in here."

Finally, the other boy couldn't stand his behaviour and slapped him on the back of his head. "Yagi, behave!"

Yagi rubbed his head, pouting. "Itai! Itsuki, you baka!"

Itsuki ignored his friend and bowed politely. "Sumimasen! He does not mean disrespect."

"Yeah! Yeah! Anyway, I am Yagi, and this is my best friend, Itsuki. Careful, don't anger him. He is the son of our village head. He can throw y… Ouch!" He had suffered another slap.

"Ignore him. We are here on my father's order to welcome you to our village. Please…"

"Cut all that boring crap! So, what's your name?" Yagi cut in, ignoring the displeased gaze his friend sent him.

At the question, his smile at the two boys' antique slipped away. He turned his face away from the two curious gazes. What would happen once they knew who he was? Since this village was in Hi no Kuni, they must have heard of him, 'the demon Kyuubi', before.

"Ne…ne… You have not answered my questi…" At the nudge his friend gave him, Yagi shut his mouth. He awkwardly said, "Well, if you don't want to tell us, it doesn't matter. But we have to call you something. What do you want us to call you? I know! What about Emperor? I heard that it means a leader or something like that. I wanted to call myself that but that baka Jiji forbade me from changing names," he finished sulkily, but was soon yelling in pain.

"Don't call my father names!" Itsuki waved his fist threateningly.

"Tch.." Yagi ignored his friend. "So, how do you like…"

"What are you two gaki doing here?"

"Ten-sama," both boys bowed respectfully at the healer.

"Run along now. A patient needs a lot of rest. Itsuki-kun, remember to take the herbs on the table for Takeru-sama. And Yagi-kun, tell your mother not to overexert herself. I will stop by to see her tomorrow."

"Hai, arigatou gozaimasu!"

As the boys disappeared from sight, the healer turned towards him with an indulgent smile. "Don't mind them. They can be overbearing sometimes, especially Yagi-kun. But they mean no harm."

"They are nice," he croaked out.

"I brought a glass of water and some soup for you. You must be hungry."

He gulped down a few mouthfuls of the glass of water held to his mouth and ended up choking. The older man, who was holding his head up, immediately thumped his back and wiped his face and neck dry.

"Drink slowly. Your stomach is not used to drinks or foods after such a long period of starvation. Here, have some soup." He proceeded to spoon-feed him.

After an hour, he finally rested with a full stomach, a contented smile on his face. Ten-san was really very kind and gentle towards him. There were a few of villagers visiting him too. This was really a very good village. Perhaps he could make a life for himself here. Yes, that was a nice thought. He closed his eyes and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He did not know how much time had passed when he was awakened by the shouts and the unbearable heat.

"Please!"

"Don't…"

"Spar…hil…"

The shouts were all jumbled up. But one thing he could hear clearly was the sinister laughter. He frowned. What was happeni… Footsteps reached his sensitive ears. He turned his head to stare into the dark corner. A figure was coming nearer to his bed. The glint of a knife caught his attention. He tensed.

"Well, well. What have I found here? You are going to be my first victim. Aren't you the lucky one?"

As the figure loomed over him with the knife raised, he ordered his body to move frantically. _Move!_

What? Too scared?" the figure mocked him.

_Move! _he screamed mentally.

"Bye bye!"

The knife was getting nearer to his chest. The world seemed to slow considerably. As the sharp blade was only an inch away, his right hand finally moved to intercept it. Catching the hand holding the knife with a strength he did not know he had, he kicked the figure hard in the stomach. Doubled over in pain, the figure let go of the knife.

"You bastard!"

The figure got up and charged towards him. This time, he couldn't move in time. He was knocked onto the ground from the impact. "Urgh.." he groaned from the pain. Alert for possible attacks, he glanced over. To his surprise, his attacker was just lying facedown; half of his body on the bed, the other half on the floor.

He struggled to get up. He supported his weight with the fallen table. He poked at the unmoving figure. There was no response. Trying to turn the body over, he stumbled and fell on it. Fumbling to right himself, his hand touched something warm and liquid. Bringing his wet hand to his nose, he sniffed: blood! He froze.

After a few seconds, he turned body over. Sure enough, there was a knife protruding from his chest. Suddenly he felt suffocated. He stumbled to the door. He needed air, needed to escape.

He pushed the door open, only to witness a ghastly scene. Houses were on fire, bodies torn into several parts littered the whole ground. Blood made trails on the ground, flowing like a river. He could only stand there, unable to move.

"Please, no. Not the children. They are innocent. Let them go. Ple…"

He swivelled his head to the direction of the pleading voice to witness the woman being slashed in half, blood spewing out like geyser. The body dropped dead.

His eyes were wide, terror reflected in them. Vaguely, his mind registered the five laughing figure circling two shaking smaller figures. Suddenly, one of the smaller figure got up and throw himself at the villains in madness.

"You basard! Die!" D…" Once again the night was painted red. He would never talk again as his head rolled onto the ground before his body fell.

"Yagi!"

The devastated shout spurred him into action. His eyes searched frantically for something to use as weapons and fell upon the stack of wood by the door. Running towards the group, he threw the wood at the surprised men, and managed to snatch one of the man's swords but ended up on his own face in the process. He cursed his weak body mentally. His ears caught the swishing sound of a sharp sword cutting through the air. He swung the sword he held in time to hold back the blade.

"Not bad, bo…"

Taking advantage of the overconfident man, he ran his sword through him and pulled it out again. He avoided the dying man's shocked gaze and took his fallen sword. He threw the sword to the frozen boy behind him. "Get up and fight." When the boy did not move, he shouted, "Do you want to die, Itsuki?" Finally the boy moved slowly to take the sword from his hand.

The sounds of clapping cut through the night. A sinister figure that had been lurking in the shadows stepped into the moonlight.

Shock swept through his body. "You!"

"Yes, me! Surprised? You should be. My acts are perfect."

"Why…,Ten-san?" Itsuki choked out, disbelief clearly on his face.

"Do you know that I would have been the village head if it was not for your father? Instead, the stupid villagers chose that useless thing," he spat out the word, "and pushed me aside. I had planned this for years. The village was on the verge of ruins anyway."

"How could you?" Itsuki shouted, rage mounting in his body.

"Easy."

With a cry of rage, Itsuki raced towards the traitor, waving his sword wildly.

Seeing this, he tried to stop his suicidal action, but was not in time. He himself was still in shock over the different Ten-san. He had been so kind and nice to him in the morning. Yet… A cynical smile tugged at his mouth. This was human nature, he guessed.

He had taken down three men. His body was getting heavier. His sword was kicked from his grasp. He jumped away from the range of attack. Quickly forming a few seals, he yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

When nothing happened, he thought he had failed. Suddenly a replica of him popped into existence. As the enemy was distracted by his clone, he quickly rolled over and grabbed the sword. He was just in time. His sword ran through the man's chest. Pulling out the sword, he immediately turned to help Itsuki. He found that he was not needed at all. Ten-san was not even putting up a fight. Itsuki's sword cut clean through the traitor's stomach.

The man gave a sad smile, blood gushing out of his mouth. "The village was on the verge of ruins. In the pa… past… thirty years, only ten c…children were born healthi…ly and out… of these ten," he coughed out more blood, "only you… a… and Yagi survived. A co…uple of yea…rs ago, I found out the rea…son. We…" He did not manage to finish. He died kneeling on the ground.

Itsuki was still standing in front of the corpse, unmoving. He had probably gone into shock. He would have walked over to snap him out of it, but before he could take a step, his body crumpled onto the floor. With all the adrenaline gone, he had no more strength left to even stand. The world of darkness welcomed him into its arms before his body made contact with the hard ground.

To be continued...

A/N: Now that you have finished reading, **REVIEW**!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimers: Refer to the first page.

A/N: Thanks for your reviews! Please enjoy yourself with this chapter. But don't forget to review!

Knock! Knock!

"Come in," Emperor looked up from his work.

The door opened to reveal Itsuki. "Emperor-sama, Yami-san is here to see you."

"Call her in."

"Hai."

A few seconds later, a woman dressed all in black came in. She was a petite woman at 5'3. Any woman would envy her body. Nothing much could be deduced as she covered every part of herself, except her beautiful green eyes. "Emperor-sama." She knelt down on her right knee, her head bowed in respect.

"Yami, you should already know why I called you back."

"Hai."

Emperor nodded his head. He had expected this from the leader of his spies, and was not disappointed. Onmitsu was a group of Kagekagure spies, which consisted of 6 shinobi; all Jonin R.1. Each of them would be given assignments where they would be required to get information for their village. They would then report back to Yami, their leader cum messenger. Yami was required to travel a lot; going from one place to another to collect the reports. This must be done on the sly. Then she would return to Kagekagure to report to Shin and Itsuki. It was rare that she would come in contact with him. However, Yami was trained not only as a spy, but also as a stand-in for Kage.

"We will probably be gone for a few months. You will need a substitute. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Hai. I'm thinking of Makoto and Mikoto."

Emperor raised his eyebrows at her suggestion. "Two people? And ones that had just been promoted to Jonin R.1?"

"They had just applied for positions in Onmitsu. They have stealth and could easily come and go without being noticed. Since I have doubts myself, I proposed this pair of twins. Their cooperation is unbeatable so far."

Emperor nodded his head absent-mindedly. He contemplated what she had said. He had to admit that the pair of twins had the skills, but what he was worried about was that they were inexperienced. "What about Yamato? He had stood in for you once and did a good job."

"Yamato is now in Hoshigakure; I can pull him out of the mission, but someone would need to replace him. He would need to brief that person. It will take a few days, at least."

Emperor was silently contemplating this option. If he pulled Yamato out in the middle of his mission, his replacement would need to start all over again. Everything Yamato had done so far would be wasted. "Fine. Let the twins have a trial. If they couldn't do it, …" He left his sentence hanging.

"I will tell them that this will only be a trial."

Emperor nodded. "Tell Yamato to be ready to hand over his mission to someone else just in case."

"Hai!"

"There's nothing else. You can leave," Emperor dismissed the kneeling kunoichi. As the door closed behind her, Emperor sighed.

He knew that there were not enough of Jonin R.1 shinobi. The requirements were too high, but he did not wish to compromise. He wanted every single person in his village to remain safe, and the best way was to make sure that they had the ability to protect themselves. That was why he had placed such a high requirements for risky jobs like spies, assassins, hunters, and so on. Until now, there were only 8 shinobi in Onmitsu, including the newly added pair of twins and Yami. He hoped the number would increase soon. The village needed more spies, especially now that they were going to expose their strength little by little.

0000000000000000000000000

He frowned, half awake, half asleep. The heat was starting to get to him, dragging him back to consciousness. He tried to ignore it in favour of the tranquil darkness. Before long, even the darkness was slowly ebbing away, being replaced by a very faint light. He whimpered at the loss. Finally resigned, he let the awareness came. He opened his eyes only to squeeze them shut again. The sunlight had nearly blinded his bleary eyes. He turned his face to the side to avoid a second time.

Opening his eyes tentatively, the first thing he saw was red. When the incidents came back to him, he jumped up from the bloodied ground. Only then did he register the smell. He felt nauseous. He had to cover his nose and mouth. Looking around, he saw a figure standing like a stone over the fallen body of Ten-san. It seemed that Itsuki had not moved an inch at all from the spot.

"Itsuki?" He walked towards the boy, avoiding all the torn bodies on the ground. He reached out and touched the boy.

As soon as the tip of his fingers came into contact with the boy's shoulder, Itsuki dropped onto his knees, releasing the bloodied sword in his grip. Clang!

Surprised, he froze for a moment before worries set in. Kneeling on one knee, he shook the still boy. "Itsuki! Itsuki!"

Itsuki slowly raised his head to stare at him blankly. It was not shock, not despair. He had simply given up on life.

A sudden wave of rage swept over him. He raised his hand and slapped Itsuki. Slap! Itsuki crumbled onto the ground. He grabbed the boy and pulled him up.

"Don't you dare give up! Don't you dare!" He screamed at the shocked Itsuki. His nightmares flashed through his mind. His vision turned red from anger. He punched the boy in the stomach.

Itsuki's breath was sucked out of him. He coughed out some blood, his hands holding his stomach. "Kill me."

At the plea, he stopped his second punch. "Why should I?"

"I have nothing to live for. Everyone is dead. I have nothing. Nothing." Itsuki gasped out.

He stared into Itsuki's eyes. There was not a single tear in his eyes. However, he somehow felt that the boy's heart was crying. "No, you are wrong."

"Then what do I have left? Huh? Answer me!" Itsuki screamed. He flung out his arms. "Look! Everyone's dead. They would never come back again. My father, Yagi, the smiling villagers, everyone!"

He couldn't answer him. What Itsuki said was true. He was now an orphan with nowhere to go, just like him. His eyes widened. An idea occurred to him. He offered his hand to Itsuki. "Then live for me."

Itsuki froze. He stared at the outstretched hand.

"Live for me," he repeated, not lowering his hand.

Itsuki slowly raised his gaze. He was mesmerized by the scene that met his eyes. With the sunlight behind the blonde boy, he looked beautiful.

"Live for me." He smiled.

Itsuki raised his hand slowly. He hesitated for a second when his hand touched the warm skin but was reassured by the smile. He put his hand onto the one offered to him loosely at first. His grip tightened. Warmth filled him, chasing away the coldness that had consumed him earlier. The gate opened to release a flood of tears.

At the sight of the tears, he knew that Itsuki would be fine. He returned the unyielding grip, wanting to let him know that he was there for him. He did not move from his position, waiting for the crying boy to cease. It felt like an eternity had passed when in reality, only about an hour had gone by when Itsuki's tears dried up.

"Thank y…" Before he could convey his gratefulness, he lost consciousness.

He managed to catch the boy before his body hit the ground. "Itsuki?" He called out worriedly. Checking his pulse, he was relieved to find one. It seemed that he had fainted from exhaustion. Looking around for a suitable place, his eyes fell on Ten's hut. It was the only building that was not consumed by the fire. He debated within himself whether it was a good idea to bring Itsuki into the hut. Realizing that he had no other choice, he attempted to lift Itsuki up only to find that he himself was too tired for such strenuous activities. It seemed that he had not fully recovered yet.

In the end, he half dragged, half lifted Itsuki. In the room he had occupied previously, he dumped the dead body onto the floor. The bed was red with blood. He contemplated what to do. Looking at the bed and Itsuki, and back again, he decided that there was not much difference. Itsuki was also covered in dirt and dry blood.

After depositing Itsuki on the bed, he proceeded to drag the dead body out of the hut. He leaned against the door frame, trying to get his breath back. His vision was slightly blurred. Unconsciousness was near, he knew. He shook his head to clear his mind. His vision returned to normal.

Pushing himself off the frame, he explored the small hut and found a bathroom and kitchen. In the bathroom, he took a bath. He scrubbed himself until his skin was nearly peeling off. Leaning against the wall, he let the late reactions set in. Bile rose to his throat. He would have vomited if he did not force himself to calm down. He stared at his hands. "I am a murderer." A flash of red blood came into his mind. This time, he couldn't stop himself from throwing up onto the floor. Tears clouded his eyes.

Half an hour went by. He had finally stopped crying, but he was still feeling nauseous. With his shaky limbs, he cleaned up and took another bath.

In front of the mirror, he was frozen; his eyes open wide as he stared at his own reflection unbelievingly. He looked nothing like his old self. There was no whisker marks on his face. The colour of his hair had lightened to a whitish blonde. His face had lost the baby fat. Although the colour of his eyes remained unchanged, they had as weary look in them; the proof of all the despairing hardship that he had been through. _Hardship? No, that was not hardship. It was my own personal torture from Hell. _A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"The idiotic Naruto was no more." With that sentence, he turned and walked out of the bathroom, his head held high.

Rummaging around in the kitchen, he fixed something simple for himself and his new companion. He might not be a good cook, but he could still whip up something edible. Besides, he still could not stomach solid food and he doubted that Itsuki would have the appetite to eat.

He arranged the steaming food on the table and went to wake Itsuki up.

"Itsuki, wake up for some food," he told the boy on the bed. At the sight of his dirty state, he wrinkled his nose in distaste. The nausea was returning at full force. He forced it down. "Go clean up first. Change out of your clothes. There are clothes in that trunk. Although they are a bit bigger, they're still better than what you're wearing now. I'm also wearing one of the smaller clothes."

Itsuki nodded and got up slowly. He stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Left alone in the room, he stared at the bed. Nausea was fighting for dominance. He forced it down again. A sudden wave of rage swept over him at his own weakness. He tore the thick bedding off the bed with unexpected strength and flung it out the window. He rummaged around the room for another clean one to cover the spot of dry blood.

Finally done, he stared at the clean bed, satisfied, slightly out of breath. Things were littered all around the floor. Not a spot escaped.

This was the scene Itsuki came out to.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Finishing their meals, Itsuki and he were sitting there quietly. Neither knew what to do next.

Out of curiosity, he asked, "Itsuki, do you still hate Ten-san?"

Silence met his question. He shifted nervously in his chair. "If you do…"

Itsuki cut him off. "No. Surprising, isn't it? I couldn't believe it myself as well. Still can't, in fact. But it is the truth. I don't hate him anymore. When I think of him, I can only feel an aching hole in my heart."

He kept quiet at the confession. Thinking back to his own nightmare, he could understand the feeling. He did not hate Konoha as well. "No, it's not surprising," he whispered under his breath.

Silence descended upon the couple. Each was lost in their thoughts. A light breeze blew the hot air in through the open window.

"We have better get a move on. We have a lot to do."

Itsuki raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

"We have to bury the bodies, give them a proper funeral," he said solemnly. His eyes never left Itsuki, waiting for his reactions. There was only a slight stiffness, nothing else; a small nod of his head to indicate that he understood and agreed. He did not know whether to be worried or relieved.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dusk was approaching swiftly. They were still outside picking up parts of bodies to be pieced back later. There were already six bodies with all parts recovered and pieced back lying on one side, waiting to be buried.

"Let's stop. We can continue tomorrow."

Itsuki looked up. He shook his head. "No. I want to continue."

He opened his mouth to protest but closed it again. He nodded his head. "I will prepare dinner."

Itsuki never looked up from his gruesome work.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It took them five days to piece all the parts together, and another week to bury them.

He did not know why, probably because he was getting used to the smell and the gruesome sight; he did not feel nauseous anymore. The first few days were terrible; he threw up at least seven times a day. He noticed the same of Itsuki. Now, both of them most probably wouldn't even twitch if they were to come across a dead body.

He was standing facing the tombs while Itsuki was kneeling besides him, head bowed. Both of them closed their eyes and said a prayer for the dead. A few minutes later, they were still in the same position.

Looking at Itsuki, he debated whether to leave him alone for a moment to let him grieve. Just as he was about to take a step, he was stopped.

"Ne, I still do not know your name. How do you want me to call you?" Itsuki asked without looking at him.

He froze. Itsuki was right. He had never introduced himself. But he did not want to use his old name. It brought back too many painful memories he wanted to leave behind. If he still used that name, he knew that he would never be able to start anew.

His eyes fell upon a tomb. The name Yagi was carved onto the piece of wood that was stuck into the ground near the tomb. The face of a smiling mischievous boy flashed through his mind. "Emperor," he whispered.

"Huh?" Itsuki tilted his head to look up at the other boy, confusion clear on his face.

"From now on, I will be Emperor," he repeated in a stronger voice. "In memory of Yagi."

Itsuki froze for a second before a smile appeared. Fresh tears rolled down his pale face. "Thank you."

He put a comforting hand on the kneeling boy's shoulder. "Let's go."

Itsuki nodded. He stood up on his weak feet. Both of them walked away; neither looked back.

As they were walking into the forest, Emperor stopped Itsuki suddenly.

Itsuki turned to look at the frowning boy. "Wh…"

"Shh…" Emperor pointed to the direction of what had caught his attention.

Itsuki turned to look in that direction. At first, he did not find anything strange. But after a while, his eyes caught a hint of blonde. He followed behind the other boy, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

As they neared the bush, they could finally see a body hidden by the tall grasses, lying face-down.

Emperor walked near the body. Something told him that he should recognize the boy. Even the clothes seemed familiar; just like the one he wore when he first woke up in this burnt-down village. He frowned. Turning over the body, he got the shock of his life. The boy looked exactly like his old self, minus the whisker marks!

To be continued...

A/N: So, what do you think of this chapter? Please tell me.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimers: Refer to the first page.

A/N: Since a couple of you complained about the confusing past and present, I changed the format a bit. Hope it helps. For the past, it's in Italic form and the inner thoughts in normal form; and for the present, it's vice versa. Hope this clears up the confusion.

_They were once again back in Ten's hut. While Itsuki was busy preparing a meal for the still unconscious boy, Emperor was standing besides the bed, staring at the replica of his old self. His eyes were dark with pain. Unwanted memories were rushing into his head. He closed his fists so tightly that his nails sunk into his palms, drawing blood. He welcomed the pain. He needed it to remain calm. How he wanted to tear that face apart. He was so caught up in his own feelings that he did not notice his own nails lengthening into claws, protruding from the back of his palms. A gasp broke him from his thoughts. He turned to look at the shocked Itsuki standing at the doorway with a bowl of hot soup._

_"Your hands…" Itsuki whispered._

_Looking down at his hands, he froze. His nails…no, claws had gone right through both palms, blood flowing freely onto the floor, colouring it red. The claws retracted, turning back into normal nails again the next second. He stared transfixed as he couldn't see any wounds left behind. From the lingering pain and the residual blood, he knew that there should have been wounds. No matter how quickly he recovered due to Kyuubi…His eyes widened at a realization._

_"Emperor?" Itsuki asked worriedly. He had seen the changes of all the different expressions until terror settled on Emperor's face. He frowned when the horrified boy clutched his stomach. "Emperor?"_

_"I…I have to go to the bathroom. Look after the boy. Be careful." He rushed into the bathroom and locked the door. Standing in front of the mirror, he sucked in a deep calming breath. Eyes shut tight, his shaking hands tugged at his shirt. He opened his eyes and stared at the mirror in disbelief. "No, this must not be true." He wide eyes couldn't leave the unblemished stomach of his. _Nothing. There's nothing on my stomach! How can this be? Where's the seal? _He closed his eyes and tried to enter his own mind only to realize that he couldn't. Except for a new link, he couldn't feel anything else. He couldn't feel Kyuubi! _No, this cannot be! Kyuubi must be here somewhere! The link! That must be it! _He closed his eyes again and tried to follow the foreign link he felt just now. It led him to…the boy outside! Right at that moment, Itsuki's frantic voice reached his ears._

_"Emperor! Emperor!" Itsuki knocked on the door. "The boy…" He was so startled when the door suddenly opened that he did not manage to finish what he had to say. A blur went past him. When he turned, he saw Emperor strangling the other boy on the bed. His eyes widened. He hurried over to pull him away. "What are you doing?!" He pushed Emperor onto the hard floor._

_Wincing from the pain, Emperor sat up. His eyes were still on the poor boy. "I…" He couldn't answer. How could he tell Itsuki that he thought…What had he thought? He knew from the feelings through the link that the boy was not Kyuubi. When Itsuki called for him, he just reacted without thinking. "I'm sorry. I thought the boy had woken up and tried to hurt you."_

_"He did not. He is still unconscious!" Itsuki made sure to stand between Emperor and the bed, unsure whether there would be a second attack. "I called for you because I saw something…confusing."_

_Emperor frowned. "Confusing?"_

_Itsuki nodded his head. "When I tried to wake him up, I saw fresh blood seeping into the bed sheet. I was worried that he was injured, so I checked. His palms were bleeding." Itsuki's eyes settled on Emperor's hands. "The wounds looked like claws had gone through them."_

_"C…Claws?" Emperor took a step towards the boy, but when Itsuki tensed, he stopped. "Don't worry. I won't hurt him. I just want to verify something." _

_Itsuki hesitated, but in the end, he let Emperor through._

_Emperor bent and tugged the boy's shirt up. Sure enough, there was the seal on his stomach. He did not know what to think. Should he be relieved that the nine-tailed demon did not escape? Or should he be happy that the demon was still in captivity? Only now, Kyuubi was in his clone. He had finally identified the link. It was a link between him and his kage bunshin. He had never thought that the clone could remain so long even after all the chakra had been used up that he did not think of it at first. However, this clone was different. Not only did it not disappear, it also sustained any injuries that he had. The slowly closing wounds on its palms proved it. _

_"Emperor?"_

_"This is not human. It's my kage bunshin. I do not know what went wrong with the jutsu, but it appears that my clone did not disappear after all the chakra was used up." He turned to look at Itsuki's confused face. Reminding himself that the boy had probably not even known the existence of shinobi since he had lived in this rural village for so long, he sighed. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is one of the shinobi's technique to created more replicas of oneself to fight in battles," he explained. "I will start your training as soon as possible. We do not know what dangers we might face in the future." His eyes turned back to stare at the clone. He tried to order it to wake up through the link but there was no reaction. "Damn it! Wake up!" He cursed in frustration. To his and Itsuki's surprise, the clone's eyes opened. _

_Emperor frowned. He tried to order it to stand up mentally; still nothing. He changed his method. "Stand up!" The clone stood up. A smile spread over Emperor's face. "I think it listens to verbal orders."_

_"What are we going to do now?" Itsuki asked. _

_"Experiment a bit."_

_"Huh?" Itsuki was confused over the answer he got._

_"I had to know how long it can exist, whether I can transfer some chakra over to it, whether it can fight, and so on. As for you, you will begin your training. I never thought of it before. It is too dangerous to leave the village right now. You can't fight and I'm weak. We will stay here for a few more weeks. At least until I recover my strength."_

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

It was early dawn. The sun had not emerged yet; the sky was tinged with orange. It was quiet; leaving only the sound of the waves hitting the beach could be heard. There were no birds chirping, no sounds of the activities that had usually started by this time.

More than half of the villagers had gathered at the dock. The rest were at their posts, watching from afar. All of them wanted to send the group off. This was the first time in this thirteen years that their Emperor-sama would be gone from the village for such a long time.

Standing in front of the deck, Emperor watched serenely as his people bowed in respect. As the people became smaller, he had the urge to leap from the ship onto the deck, to escape. His heart was heavy with reluctance to face Konoha. Was that fear or hatred he felt for that village? He did not know the answer, not anymore. He used to be sure that he did not hate it – 'used to' being the magic words. This was before that incident, before he started on the journey with Itsuki.

"Emperor-sama, we are docking on Kagekagure soon. Kage-sama and Shin-sama are already waiting for us," Itsuki's voice broke him out of his reverie.

Emperor nodded his head absent-mindedly. He could still back out now. Just give the order and the ship would turn back. It was a temptation, but his position as the leader of the village stopped him.

After 13 years of rebuilding this village, finally they were ready to show their strength to the world. The process would be slow, but sooner or later, Kagekagure would be established and known as a strong shinobi village. Their plan would finally come to fruition; and he planned to be there to watch it happen. Besides, as their leader, it was his responsibility to be there to give his support to the first Genin team to ever enter the public Chunin Exam.

Blending in with the group of his guards, using them as a shield from the eyes, he bowed at the same time they did.

"Kage-sama."

A fast inconspicuous sweep of the people gathered, he found that half of them are foreigners. Fortunately, they had expected this and their acting would start here. The troop had been briefed, so had the villagers. He would be known as Keiji, a bodyguard of their Kage-sama.

Hopefully, he would not be exposed throughout the whole trip. However, he understood that even the best actor would let slip some mistakes. If it came to that, he would just deal with it.

His troop had skilfully manoeuvred until he was right in the middle of the group, only a few steps behind Kage and Shin. This was done without looking suspicious. Perhaps he had been worrying over nothing. Even if his identity was exposed, and thus attracting more attention, it was not as if Konoha people would recognize him. _Not even Iruka-sensei recognized me when I was only sitting beside him that fateful day. _

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Days changed into nights; weeks into months. Without noticing it, Itsuki and he had spent about four months in the burnt down village together with his clone. _

_Itsuki was a fast learner. He absorbed the knowledge he passed on to him like sponge absorbed water. However, when it came to the practical, he struggled. Perhaps it was because he had started so late into his life; shinobi were trained from their young age. Nevertheless, after these four months of drilling everything that he could into him, he had at least turned out to be a decent fighter. Itsuki might not be able to win against true shinobi yet; but he would be able to defend himself properly. Despite all these, Itsuki still managed to find time to go through Ten's stuff to find any clue to the unfinished confession. To his disappointment, there was none; perhaps the reason behind the massacre would remain a mystery forever. _

_Emperor turned his gaze away from his student; and focused on his own tasks. _

_The first month he stayed here, he had trained himself hard to get his body into good condition again. The process was slow. He was tempted to use his chakra, but he abstained. He could feel that his chakra was too weak and unstable. Most of the time he was frustrated but he persevered. He had beaten death; this was nothing. _

_During the second month, he started training with his chakra that had stabilized as his physical condition improved. His chakra had shrunk to that of a child's but he did not let himself dwell on it. Instead he immersed himself fully into the training. His perseverance paid off. He had perfect control over the small amount of chakra. Only after that did he try to expand it to the size it was before. After the trying four months, he could honestly say that he was back to the level he was before. In fact, he was now probably stronger due to his new control over his own chakra since he did not waste them like he used to. However, he was not satisfied. He wanted to grow stronger. This was not enough. He was still weak! He made up his mind. They would leave the village and travel. He would learn any skills he could get his hands on. He would become stronger. _

_Emperor lifted his head and his eyes fell upon the kage bunshin that was standing rock still like he ordered. He frowned. He still could not figure out what had gone wrong with his jutsu. In fact, he couldn't even produce anymore kage bunshin. It was as if that skill was sealed off from him; but that did not matter. He found the bunshin he currently had very useful. _

_From what he observed; as he grew stronger, so did his clone. It still held no chakra nor could he give it any. The first time he noticed something was off was when he got injured during his training in the first month. Unlike his previous experience, his injuries did not bleed. He did not feel much pain as well. The same injuries that appeared on his bunshin healed at a faster rate than before. As his stamina returned to normal, he noticed that he felt no pain when he was hurt. In fact, he only sustained minor scratches when he was sure the wounds were supposed to be more severe than this. After his chakra reserve grew back to its previous size, he noted that he sustained no more injuries – not even when he deliberately cut himself with a knife; not only that, his bunshin did not even bleed. The wound on the bunshin just appeared for less than a second and was gone before one could even think about checking it. In other words, he did not need to be worried about being injured so badly that he couldn't fight anymore, nor did he need to worry that he would be distracted by pain in battles. Of course, it did not mean that he was immortal, for he did not know where the limit of his newfound advantage was._

_Since the bunshin would not be able to use any chakra seeing as it had none, he tried to test whether he could fight using pure taijutsu. To his surprise, it was quite good at it. It was not skilled and his stances were merely punches and kicks, but they were strong enough to leave behind small craters. It might have difficulties when faced with strong opponents, but with its inhuman speed and agility, it could still lend a hand in battles. _

_Emperor frowned as his thought shifted to the nine-tailed demon sealed in the bunshin. In one of his experiments, he had tried to command the bunshin to use Kyuubi's power. It was able to do so but the price was high. Both he and the bunshin collapsed only three seconds after the red chakra emerged. It had sent Itsuki into frenzy. They remained in coma for two days. After he woke up, the bunshin awoke as well. When he tried to go back to his training, he realized that he couldn't access his chakra. That nearly devastated him. Luckily, it was only for about two hours. Since then, he never tried it again. Perhaps he was not strong enough for that yet. He vowed to himself that he would find a way to let his bunshin use the full power of Kyuubi without suffering the same consequences. _

"_Emperor, everything's packed. We are ready to go," Itsuki's voice broke him out of his thoughts. _

_Turning towards the other boy, he nodded. "Then let's leave." He turned and started taking a few steps before he realized that Itsuki was not moving. A glance at the sad face, he stopped in his tracks. He would give time to the boy to say his goodbyes. _

"_Thank you," Itsuki thanked the considerate Emperor. "Let's go." With a pair of resolute eyes, he took a step towards his new future._

_To be continued..._

_A/N: So, is this much clearer? Or should I change back to how I did it in previous chapters? Tell me please. And don't forget to review this chapter!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimers: Refer to the first page._

_A/N: Since none of you complained about the new format I adopted, I will go on with it._

_"The monster is back!" a shout rang out through the whole small village. _

_At once, the villagers packed their things and ran back to their houses. Not even ten minutes went by before the formerly busy village became eerily abandoned. A gust of cold wind blew over the village, leaving a trail of dried leaves behind. _

_"What happened?" a young teenage boy asked, confusion clear on his face. He was still holding a fish, which he had planned to buy for dinner. He was about to pay for it when the fishmonger just up and left. _

_A pair of blue eyes stared at the deserted street. He had an ominous feeling about this. "Let's get back." _

_"But…what about the fish?" Itsuki asked undecidedly. He stared at the fish then at the direction the fishmonger had disappeared to. "Should we go and fin…"_

_Emperor cut him off. "Since he was the one who left in a hurry, why should we…" he trailed off as something caught his attention; or rather someone._

_Itsuki, who had noticed his distracted companion, turned to see what had caught his interest. A boy their age was walking slowly into the village accompanied by two huge crafty-looking guys. He frowned. What was so interesting about them?_

_Emperor's gaze was fixed on the boy. He could be considered a pretty boy, especially with his long silver hair loose like that. However, the boy's features were not what he was staring at. It was his eyes – a pair of white pupiless eyes. Was the boy a Hyuuga? That shouldn't be right. Hyuugas had lavender eyes, not pure white. A gasp startled him out of his thought. What he saw would have made him angry if he was still Naruto; but he was not. _

_These five months they had spent on the road had taught him a lot. Wherever they went, there would always be injustice– lords bullying the poor, family members betraying each other, friends backstabbing friends, parents abusing their children, and many other ugliness of the human world. At first, he and Itsuki had tried to help; but none of the people accepted it. To them, they were just children. In fact, there were a few times when the people they were trying to help ganged up on them. In the end, he had learned the harsh lesson – humans were selfish creatures; and he stopped his stupid acts. As he travelled, he would only watch and did nothing to help or deter. As long as neither he nor Itsuki was involved, he would just stand aside. Itsuki, who had gone through the same experiences, understood and did the same. _

_Right now, another example of human cruelty was happening. The two brutish men had broken down the door of one of the houses. An old woman was dragged out by her hair. She was struggling fiercely. Flung to the floor near the boy's feet, she knocked her head. Blood trickled down her face. She strained to regain her balance. _

"_Monster! Get away from me!" was the first thing the old woman yelled. Picking up a stray stone, she threw it at the boy but missed. "Monsters like you should never be born!"_

"_Do it," one of the men ordered. _

_The boy was standing right in front of the old woman in the blink of an eye. Holding onto the frozen prey's head, his quarry let out a piercing shriek of pain. Not a second later, blood gushed out from her eyes, nose, mouth and ears. The boy dropped the dead body carelessly._

"_Damn! Fail again! This useless piece of garbage!" The nearer man gave the still body a kick. "At least we have helped Lord Michio get rid of another useless thing." He looked towards the boy. A shiver ran through his body at the blank face and the freaky eyes._

_A frown was still showing on Emperor's face. It was not the woman's death that bothered him. It was the way the old woman had treated the boy that brought up his painful memories. Although the situation was different, there was also the similarity where the boy was shunned – just like Naruto. _

"_Emperor?" Itsuki whispered questioningly when his companion took a step towards the three figures. He followed close behind, preparing to help if needed. Question marks appeared all over his head. Emperor had not tried to delve into another person's business these couple of weeks. So, what was he going to do?_

_When the two men noticed that the two boys were coming closer to them, one of them smirked. Looking at the living weapon he was given to by his lord, he ordered, "Kill them."_

_The boy immediately did as told. Appearing in front of the nearer boy, he gave a killing blow. _

_Emperor dodged the blow at the last second. He had to admit that the boy was fast; but not faster than him. As the boy continued to deliver more punches and kicks, he danced around him to avoid all of them. As fast as the boy was, it did not seem like he was pitting his all against him. The boy's movements were a bit mechanic, as if he was programmed to fight like that. _

"_What are you doing, trash! I said kill them!"_

_Emperor was distracted by the sudden shout. Although it was less than a second, it gave the boy an opening. A kick to his stomach caused him to fly back a short distance, sprawled onto the earth. The boy was following close behind, and was about to deliver what the men thought was the last blow. _

_Emperor caught the boy's legs. A tug, the boy lost his balance. Taking advantage, Emperor subdued the boy, his left hand strangling the boy's neck while his right hand was raised as if to punch him. _

_Instead of the expected walloping, Emperor lowered his hand and let go of the boy's neck. He stood up and offered a hand to the frozen boy. With a smile on his face, he asked, "Want to be friends?"_

_The boy blinked his eyes, not comprehending. From as far as he could remember, no one had smiled at him nor offered him friendship. He was raised in a lab; dozens of experiments were done on him everyday. He was taught to fight, to kill. He used to stare at the children in the village curiously when they laughed. He did not understand why they were laughing or smiling. He still could not understand. However, the smile directed at him made him feel warm for the first time in his life. He stared at the face unblinkingly._

"_Useless trash!" _

_It seemed the men had become enraged. They roughly pushed Emperor aside and grabbed the boy, dragging him with them. _

"_You have to fight for your freedom. I hope we can be friends. I'll wait for you right in this village for two days," Emperor told the boy in a peaceful tone. He watched as the boy was dragged away, doing nothing to help. After all, he had to help himself before others could help him._

"_Emperor, is that wise? You have made enemies with those people. I'm sure they have…" Itsuki rambled worriedly._

"_Sometimes, we have to stand up for something we feel strongly about." He smiled at Itsuki. "The boy will be back," Emperor said with total conviction._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sun was high up in the sky. It had been two weeks since they had left their village. Their troop of 60 was gaining ground on their destination steadily. They were not rushed. Instead, they were taking their own sweet time getting to Konoha. To others' eyes, they were more like taking a picnic in the forest. With the heavy big chests, they did look like traders. Not to mention their expensive clothes and the numerous pricey weapons everyone in the troop carried; they were certainly rich if nothing else.

Strangely, in the large troop, there were four that were dressed differently from the rest. While the others were dressed in rich colourful garments, these four were garbed in all black clothes, the type that only shinobi wore. Out of the four, three were young children; around the age of 10 to 12. They were the ones heading the group. From their alert stance, they were also the guards.

Emperor was calculatingly observing every move his Chunin team made. The three chunin were fresh graduates. Although they were supposed to be tested in the coming Chunin Exam, he did not want to be unfair. Thus, he chose from the graduates. This team was one of the strongest Chunin teams of this year that had applied to further their training. The three of them seemed very steady, not even the least bit nervous. Of course, to have graduated as chunin was no easy feat. It meant that they were skilled shinobi. In other shinobi villages, they would already be ranked Jonin. However, Emperor reserved his judgement of them. They had not yet proven themselves worthy of his praise. He shifted his gaze away. Avoiding Shin's piercing stare, his eyes landed upon Kage. The familiar face brought a small pang to his heart. Although Kage's features had matured a lot, he still looked too much like 'him' for his comfort.

-Flashback-

"Emperor."

Itsuki's voice stopped him in his tracks. It had been four days since they left Jidougakure. They had travelled non-stop with no destination in their minds. The gate of the first civilization they encountered since their journey was just a few feet away. "Yes?" Emperor asked impatiently. He couldn't wait to get a decent bath and meal.

"What should we do with him?" Itsuki asked as his finger pointed towards the bunshin.

Emperor frowned. "What do you mean? It will come with us of course."

Itsuki sighed. "You keep on calling him it. That will draw unnecessary attention to us. We have to give him a name," he explained his dilemma.

Emperor was silent. He realized the truth of Itsuki's words. He was really too impulsive sometimes. That had to change. It might get him killed one day. "A name? What do you think we should name him?"

Itsuki rubbed his chin contemplatively. "Since he is a kage bunshin, why don't we name him Kage? It will be perfect."

Emperor frowned. "Kage? That did not sound like a name at all." He sighed. "Whatever. Kage is fine." He looked his bunshin straight in the eyes. "From today onwards, your name is Kage."

-End flashback-

Emperor sighed softly. Using Kage as a shield from public eyes was a good decision. However, since it was only a bunshin that obeyed his verbal orders and he would not be able to be with him every second of the day – that would defeat the purpose - he had given orders to Kage to obey Shin and Itsuki. If one paid attention, one would realize that wherever Kage was, Shin would not be far away. In other words, Shin was actually the one that was his substitute behind the shadow. It had been thirteen years yet no visitors had noticed Shin's clever manipulations. Seeing as he was the Foreign Affairs Minister of Kagekagure, none found his presence beside the Kagedaime suspicious. When Shin could not be present, which was rare, all appointments with Kage would be rejected or scheduled on later dates.

The sound of movements from the forest reached his sensitive ears. A glance at Shin and Itsuki showed that they had noticed as well, so had all the others. However, none gave away that they had already known of the possible enemies hiding in the bushes. They continued on with their journey as if they were oblivious to the danger.

As the forest grew thinner, the movements of those tailing them were getting nearer. Just when they stepped out of the thick forest into the plane, a huge group of bandits were already waiting for them. Behind them, another group of bandits had cut off their escape route. They were surrounded by at least a hundred enemies.

One of the bandits that appeared to be the leader raised his katana and yelled, "Atta…" Blood gurgled out of his mouth. A glance down showed him a shuriken embedded deeply into his left chest. "…ack…" He dropped onto his face, dead.

Watching their leader one second alive another dead, the bandits were panicking. They couldn't decide whether to run or continue.

Emperor was not surprised at all when a shuriken flew past him to kill off the leader. He had felt the presence of four people that were adept at hiding their chakra – one better than the others – tailing them for a while now. He suspected that they were shinobi. However, he did not know whether they were enemies or foes. He shot a subtle look at Shin, silently ordering him to initiate a communication.

"Thank you for helping us. Are you friends or foes?" Shin asked out loud, his eyes fixed in the direction the shuriken came from, a friendly smile on his face.

Four figures emerged from the forest – one adult and three teenage boys. They were wearing shinobi garbs and leaf head protectors.

For a second, Shin's smile turned cold before returning to normal. It was too fast to be caught except by Itsuki. Emperor would have caught it as well if he was not too busy staring at the four strangers.

"We are sent by our Hokage to guide and protect your troop on your journey to Konoha," the adult of the four explained.

By this time, one of the bandits had gathered his wits together. "They only have those eight that can fight. Let's attack. Our victory is sure!" At once, the bandits recovered. They brandished their swords, ready to attack; but still hesitating.

"We will tak…"

Shin cut off the shinobi from Konoha. "Thanks, but please do not interfere. We can handle our problems without help," he declined politely, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Are you mocking us?" The bandits had gotten angry. Their rage dispersed their fear. They rushed forward together, ready to kill all the presumptuous bastards.

However, they had not even taken five steps before they slowed down to a stop. They could no longer lift their heavy-as-stones legs. Panic was setting in. Echoes of pain could be heard all around them, which increased their fear. Not even five minutes later, all the bandits' heads were separated from their bodies cleanly; they had all died standing in the same positions as when they were paralyzed.

The three Kagekagure shinobi calmly cleaned their katana and sheathed them. Returning back to their troop, they bowed to their Kage-sama and went back into their original positions.

The three chunin from Konoha had their mouths open wide in disbelief at the swift killings before their eyes. One was even getting sick at the sight of the separated bodies and heads, and the blood.

As for the adult – a Jonin most probably – he showed nothing outside. But inside, he was not better off than his students. Of course, he did not feel sick; all true shinobi were killers. He was however shocked at the careless way the three kids slaughtered the large group of bandits for that was the only way to describe it; they seemed used to it. Although not many skills were used, he at least knew that they were adept at either medic jutsus or poisons; and they were skilled with katana. Weren't Kagekagure supposed to be weak? He stored this information to be told to Hokage. "We are sincerely sorry for presuming, Kagedaime-sama. Although you've shown that you do not need our protection, I hope that you would allow us to accompany you as this is our mission from our Hokage," he asked humbly. Somehow, he could feel the animosity from the troop directed at them.

"Of course, if you want to, you can come with us. This is public road," Shin said. His friendly smile somehow seemed mocking. So did his tone.

The shinobi from Konoha tensed. They knew they were unwelcome here but a mission had been given to them; they would carry it out.

"My name is Zen, a Jonnin. These are my team-mates: Zinan, Shiro, and Manzo. They are chunin. Domo yoroshiku."

Emperor noted the unmentioned family names. Unlike Kagekagure, the villagers in Konoha had family names to differentiate which bloodline they came from. In his own village, he had abolished this practice. There was no need to differentiate. In Kagekagure, they were one big family. If there was a surname, then it would be Kagekagure. He carefully scrutinized all the four shinobi. There was no indication from which family they came from. Some of the traits would only be visible when they used their bloodline limit. He wondered what they would think of Shin's eyes. Although the colour was different, his eyes were still too similar to Byakugan. This would serve to direct attention to Shin instead of Kage or himself.

"Since we have too many people to introduce, I'll just introduce a few." Shin pointed to Kage respectfully. "This is our Kage-sama. I am Shin, the Foreign Affairs Minister. This is Itsuki, our chief guard." He gestured for the chunin team to come forward. "This is the team that would participate in the exam: their teacher, Sen, with his three cute students, Masao, Masato, and Maro."

The four shinobi mentioned gave a small nod each in greeting. The Jonin of Konoha tightened his fists. The tension was getting to him. Normally he could ignore it, but somehow, this Shin fellow really grated on his nerve. In his heart, he hoped that his team would not start a fight with them. Their real mission was to forge a friendship with Kagekagure to open a negotiation chance for Konoha and gather more information about the Kagedaime, not to cause a bigger riff. Talking of the Kagedaime, he was really surprised when Shin introduced him. He had thought that the smiling guy was the leader of Kagekagure. Apparently, he was wrong. He frowned. Their Kagedaime seemed familiar but he couldn't figure out where he had seen him before. He had never been to Kagekagure, and from what he had heard, the Kagedaime had not been away of his village before. They shouldn't have had the chance to meet. As for the Foreign Affairs Minister, his eyes were suspicious as well. Was it possibly a branch of Byakugan? He filed all these away for later inspection. Right now, he had a mission to accomplish.

To be continued...

A/N: Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: Refer to the first page._

_A/N: Tanks for your reviews of the previous chapter. Hope you'll do the same again for this. Enjoy yourself!_

_"Emperor, the boy is back. He had been standing outside the door for almost two hours now," Itsuki informed Emperor, who had just woken up. _

_"Huh? What boy?" Emperor asked, his mind was still slow at comprehending the sudden information. _

_"The boy we saw yesterday, the one with the…unique eyes," Itsuki said. "I tried to invite him in but he did not move an inch from his position nor did he reply me."_

_Emperor nodded his head. "Ignore him. Is my breakfast ready?"_

_"How can you think about breakfast when he…" Istuki rebuked, but he was cut off mid-sentence._

_"You made him some food as well, didn't you?" Emperor asked. He got up lazily from the bed. Without waiting for an answer, he dressed and went out of the room straight to the direction of the wafting smell of food. Three places were set on the table._

_"I offered him breakfast but he did not give any indication that he heard me," Itsuki told him from behind him._

_"You are too soft," Emperor muttered softly._

_"What?" _

_"When you're dealing with someone like him, the best way is…" Emperor walked towards the door, opened it, and gripped onto the boy's right arm._

_"What are you doing, Emperor?" Itsuki asked in anxious surprise. Even though the boy did not give any indication that he was in pain from the hard grip, he still couldn't help but feel that Emperor was too rough with him. _

_Emperor ignored Itsuki and continued with his mission. He dragged the boy into the hut and closed the door, effectively putting a stop to the terrified but curious eyes of the villagers that were hiding behind their doors and windows. He pushed the boy, who was about the same size as Itsuki and him into the chair. "Eat with us," he told the blank-faced boy. _

_Istuki stood at the side watching the whole incident. He did not know whether he should feel relieved that the boy did not get violent at the way he was treated or exasperated at the way Emperor treated their guest. He was a little astonished when the boy actually responded by tilting his face to stare at Emperor, showing some emotions: shock and confusion. _

_Emperor smiled brightly at the confused teenager. "Didn't I ask you to be my friend? Friends often eat together; the food will be tastier. Right, Itsuki?" _

_"Huh?" Itsuki was unable to respond when he was dragged into the conversation so suddenly. "Oh, yes. We are friends." He walked over to the table and sat down casually as if the three of them had always eaten together. "Let's start or the food will get cold."_

_Emperor followed Itsuki's lead and dug into his own plate of steaming food. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the boy hesitating for a few seconds before slowly reaching for the spoon. His actions seemed awkward; his grip on the spoon was wrong, as if he was not used to eating with it. Emperor exchanged a knowing look with Itsuki. A silent agreement was made between them to slow down their movements so that the boy could join them. The meal was finished in peace. _

_"I'm Itsuki and he is Emperor," Itsuki introduced. "What's yours?" Silence met his question. _

_"Do you have one?" Emperor asked bluntly. Would those people give him a name when it was so obvious that the boy was only a tool to them? He received no answer as well. Nothing showed on the face too._

_"It doesn't matter to us what your name is. However, if you have none, it will be difficult for us to address you. If you have decided to break yourself out of your prison, then meet us here tomorrow morning and introduce yourself as Shin," Emperor told the boy._

_The boy finally gave a response. "Shin?"_

_"It's a nice name. It means believe and trust," Itsuki explained. He could understand the reason behind the name that Emperor gave. It was just a bit shocking to find that he can be so empathetic; he had thought that Emperor had become callous after their journey. Perhaps he did not understand the way his mind work at all._

_"Believe and trust?" An unidentifiable emotion flashed through the boy's eyes so fast that Itsuki did not catch it. _

_However, Emperor did. A small satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he silently watched the boy walked out of the hut. "He will return." _

_Itsuki said nothing. Sometimes he really wanted to ask Emperor what he was thinking. When he thought that he had finally grasped his companion's personality, something would happen to dispute it. For example, this incident with the boy – he had thought that Emperor would never try to save anyone else but he was wrong; he helped the boy. He could be so cynical at one minute and then a saint the next. He wondered who his saviour was before they met; he was very different from the people that he knew or had encountered. Curiosity bubbled in him, ready to burst. Yet, he had never asked for instincts told him that that subject was better off buried until Emperor brought it up himself._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Another week of relaxing journey to Konoha had passed. Right now, the troop was sitting under shady trees to escape the hot sun. As much as all of them seemed relaxed and enjoying their rest, the atmosphere spoke of a different situation. The tenseness in the air surrounding them would sting a living thing into unconsciousness. Not one person could be seen chatting with the other. The only person that seemed to be oblivious to the awkward mood was the smiling Shin.

"Another week of journey and we would be arriving in Konoha. I can't wait to take a long, satisfying bath and sleep in a comfortable soft bed. I had never realized that I had always taken such luxury for granted," Shin broke the silence. None answered him though as he did not seem to direct the comment to anyone at all.

"We have prepared accommodations for you and your troop. The head of Hyuuga family has offered one of their mansions for the duration of your stay," Zen immediately grabbed the opportunity to make them feel welcomed.

"I'm sure we will be very grateful," Shin said. Everyone who heard it took the sentence for what it was – a mock – even though he did sound sincere.

Zen had to throw his three team-mates a warning look to stop them from attacking the sarcastic Foreign Affairs Minister. He really wondered how this smiling fellow was able to rise to such a position. His attitude wasn't friendly at all, which was usually a mandatory requirement for such positions. Not only him; the Kagedaime was weird as well. He did not rebuke Shin for his attitude or interact with anyone except the chief guard and the smiling devil. The whole troop was obviously preventing him from getting close to the Kagedaime.

When he walked even an inch closer to him, the troop would somehow manoeuvre their positions so that he had to keep his distance. When he tried to strike up a conversation with him, someone would interfere. He did not succeed even once. Every time this happened, he would always see a smile that was bordering on a smirk on that devil's face. His hands were itching to tear that irritating smile off the charming face.

As the days passed Zen's suspicion that he had seen the elusive Kagedaime before increased. The where and when were near his reach yet he could not access that part of his memory. The knowledge was dancing around him, teasing him into madness.

Emperor observed the intense stare the Jonin from Konoha gave Kage. He had known that someone was bound to recognize the 'monster' sooner or later. He could only hope that it was later. That would help avoid many troubles. The uproar from the villagers of Konoha was not something he wanted to deal with. It was not because he was still afraid of them but for the simple reason that the situation would just be too troublesome. He would rather that the Chunin Exam would end without problems but he knew that that was asking for the impossible.

"If all of you are rested enough, let's move out," Itsuki broke the uncomfortable silence.

Once again the large troop was on the road.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_"It's already afternoon, Emperor. I do not think the boy is coming." Itsuki looked out to the sun that was already high in the sky. _

_"He will come," Emperor said with total conviction. _

_"But…" Itsuki stopped his protest, shaking his head. He knew that it was useless; Emperor would not listen to him. In his heart, he doubted that the boy would really come; it was already past morning, which was the time they agreed upon. As he glanced out the window, he saw a small figure walking towards their direction. Narrowing his eyes, he waited for a few seconds. It was really the boy! "He's here and he doesn't look too good, Emperor," he warned. He was about to take a step towards the door when a hand stopped him._

_"Let him come to us. He had to end his nightmare himself or he would forever be imprisoned." Emperor sat down facing the door._

_After what felt like an eternity but was actually only ten minutes, the door creaked open to reveal a bloodied teenage boy. None of the three individuals moved. They stared at each other in silent for a whole minute._

_"I killed them," the boy said._

_There was no need to ask who 'them' were. Emperor stared straight into the boy's expectant eyes. "What do you want me to say? Poor you? Or do you expect me to beat you to death while screaming monster?" _

_Itsuki was once again an audience. He could follow the conversation but he couldn't interfere because there was an invisible wall – he did not understand for he had no such experience. It only brought to his mind the question of Emperor's past. _

_The staring contest between Emperor and the boy went on for two minutes. Finally, the boy relented. "My name is Shin," was his last sentence before he succumbed to the darkness._

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_The first month Shin joined them was awkward for all three of them. Shin did not talk nor was there any expression on his face. He was still the same boy he was. The only person he would respond to was Emperor but even that was rare._

_From what they could get out of Shin, he was raised in a lab where many departments of experiments with duplicating bloodline limits were carried out. Apparently, he was the only surviving subject of an experiment to combine the DNA of Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Yamanaka bloodline. The result was his white pupiless eyes. He had some of the abilities of each bloodline like the ability to see 360 degrees and he could copy some of the low level jutsu. When he had his Genkougan activated, the three comas would appear and he could store bloodline limits in his mind to be copied into another's mind; he could not use them himself though. However, this was only in theory. It was not yet proven since all experiments failed; none of the test subjects survived._

_When Emperor heard this, he had requested that Itsuki tried to find out the reason since Itsuki had some knowledge in the functions of human bodies and minds; he had taken some lessons from Ten. Besides, he was training himself in medical jutsu from the scrolls Emperor had stolen from one of the villages they had the chance to come across._

_-Flashback-_

_It was the second time Emperor had ordered his bunshin to bring out Kyuubi's power. This time, he could withstand the burning agony for one whole minute before slipping into coma again._

_Poor Itsuki was left all alone in the thick woods to guard the two unconscious bodies. Emperor had been ready for this situation; he left him with enough food and water supply to last him a week. _

_When dusk approached, the forest seemed to come alive. Sounds of different animals and insects grated on his nerves. He had spent nights in forests before but Emperor had been awake and not in coma. _

_The howling of the wolves caused him to jump in fright. It had sounded so close. More howling replied. By then, Itsuki was ready to bolt. He would have if it was not for Emperor and Kage. He held onto his tight nerves until the dawn approached. _

_As soon as the first ray of sunlight was visible, he jumped up from his position on the ground. "I could not stand another night here. I have to get the both of them to the nearest village." _

_Setting a few easy traps that Emperor had taught him around the two bodies, Itsuki searched around for some materials that could be used as sledge; he had no time or expertise to make one. Finally, after almost an hour search, he found thick branches which he tied together with strong bundles of leaves. By the time he was done, he stared at the weird-looking sledge he had made. "As long as it can be used," he shrugged his shoulders. _

_Itsuki moved his two unconscious companions onto the sledge and pulled it towards the direction of the village that he had passed through with Emperor and Kage the day before. _

_What would usually only take two hours to reach had taken him seven hours with long regular rests in between. By the time he saw the gate of the village, it was already evening. He let go of the sledge and dropped onto the ground. "Finally," he said in between his huge puffs of breaths. He glanced at his throbbing palms and winced at the ugly bleeding blisters. _

_He forced himself off the ground and walked towards the sentry. "I would like to seek accommodation for me and my two injured friends for a few days in your village."_

_Itsuki waited for a reply that did not come. Unsure what else to do, he tried to drag the sledge into the village but was stopped before he could take a step in. "I'm sorry. I only want to rent a room here."_

_"No strangers are allowed in. Go away," the guard finally spoke. _

_"But…" Itsuki did not even finish his protest before he found that he was paralysed. He could not move. When he tried to open his mouth, he discovered that he couldn't do that as well. _

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_Night came and went. Two days had passed by. The rain drenched him while the sun dried him yet Itsuki was still frozen on the same spot. He wondered if he was going to die there. Just as he was despairing about his predicament, sounds of movements reached his ears. _

_"Itsuki? What are you doing there?" Emperor asked. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the back of Itsuki . He seemed to be in the process of dragging him and Kage along. However, he noticed that they were not moving. "Itsuki?" He called out again when he realized that the boy did not answer him. Emperor frowned. He got up and stretched the kinks out of his muscles. He frowned again when he still did not receive an answer._

_Walking to the front of Itsuki, he prodded him with his finger. "Hey, are you sleeping with your eyes open?" Still he received no reactions at all. The open eyes were staring straight ahead without blinking. Emperor frowned again. Worries were creeping into his heart. "Are you alright, Itsuki?" When only silence greeted him, he was truly anxious. Looking around, he saw that they were near the village he had seen the other day. A guard was near. Uneasiness clawed at him. _

_Emperor walked towards the guard. Not even two steps later, he felt a numbness crawling through his whole body. His brows creased in confusion and suspicion. A couple of seconds later, he could no longer move. Comprehension dawned. _Itsuki must be in the same situation. Luckily… _Slowly, the numbness retreated. He could once again feel his limbs. When he was sure whatever that had attacked him had been flushed out of his system and transferred into Kage's, he jumped away, snatching up Itsuki and his bunshin. He did not look back when he ran into the forest or he would have seen the shocked look on the guard's face. _

_When he sure that he was far enough, he stopped. He dropped his burdens onto the ground gently. "Don't worry. I will find an antidote. Kage, guard Itsuki." However, his command did not garner him the respond he expected. "Kuso!" It seemed that his bunshin was still affected. He had forgotten that he had just woken up from his coma. When he tried a jutsu, it was just as he thought: he couldn't reach his chakra reserve. It was just like the first time. "Kuso!" _

_Emperor contemplated rushing to the village. He was really tempted to do so but he abstained. Without chakra, he wouldn't win against the whole village. Besides, with him so weak and his bunshin paralysed, he did not need to be a genius to know that he would probably end up paralysed as well. He told himself to be patient. An hour of agonising wait went by. Slowly, he could feel his chakra becoming active again. "Kage, guard Itsuki." This time, Kage got up and stood in front of the unmoving boy._

_After setting a few layers of traps, Emperor set off to the village. This time, he did not go to the guard as he had no knowledge of what he was dealing with. He sneaked into the village. Surprisingly, it was easy. Except for the guard at the gate, there did not seem to be much protection. In the village, he hid himself in the shadow. From there, he observed that the villagers wore the same clothings as the guard: white uniforms that he could swear only medical staff wore. He realized that his clothes would be too obvious. Breaking into a couple of houses, he rummaged through the closets until he came upon something that he could wear. Changing into it, he sneaked around again._

_After going through a few of the buildings that seemed to be the administrative centres, he took some of the scrolls he found protected heavily with him. As he was prepared to leave the village, a gasp immediately alerted him of the possible danger. Without warning, he swung around and swept the person behind him off his feet. Before the person fell onto the ground, he knocked her unconscious. _

_A sweep of the surrounding, he was relieved to find that he was not discovered. The alley was still deserted. Staring at the woman on the ground, he pondered his next move. Finally, he reached a decision. _

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooo _

_A groan from the unconscious woman attracted Emperor's attention from the scrolls. "You're awake," he stated._

_The captured woman jumped at the unfamiliar voice. She swung around to face the impassive face of a teenage boy. "Who are you? Why did you capture me?"_

"_I need you to cure my friend. Your guard had done something to paralyse him." Emperor pointed towards Itsuki, his wary eyes never leaving the woman's face. _

"_It's our policy to never cure anyone outside our village," the woman stated proudly. _

_Emperor scowled for a second before his expression smoothened. "Then I guess I would have to do it myself."_

"_You?" the woman scoffed. "A mere boy like you would never be able to cure…" She stopped as Emperor did a few familiar handseals. Her mouth opened as the name of the jutsu came out of the 'mere boy's' mouth._

"_Paralyse no Jutsu!" _

_Almost immediately, Itsuki, tensed posture loosened and he dropped onto the ground in a dead faint. Before long, snore could be heard from his mouth. Emperor sagged in relief mentally. Outward, he showed no emotions to the woman. He was actually quite impressed with the brilliancy of this jutsu and its counter. The seals and the name were the same for both, which would certainly confuse the enemies if they did not have the fore-knowledge of it. One that was very well versed in this jutsu could even perform the effects with no seals or incantation. _

"_How…" The woman was making an impression of a fish._

"_Easy. I was fortunate enough to have stolen a scroll with the descriptions of this jutsu amongst a few of the others. I was hopeless with medical jutsu. Imagine my surprise when I found that the counter jutsu isn't so difficult at all." Emperor smirked at the enraged woman. "I won't kill you but I will not let you go for now. I have decided that I want more of these useful medical scrolls." Emperor announced. He admitted to himself that it was fun watching as his captive's face changed colours. _

_Emperor knocked the woman unconscious once again and went back to the scrolls. Some of the jutsu in the scrolls were very interesting and useful in battles but he couldn't comprehend the rest. Like he told the woman, he was bad at medical. A glance at the sleeping Itsuki and a plan formed in his mind. _I have finally found something that Itsuki could try to master. _A smile appeared on his face. _

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_True to his words, Emperor did not let the woman go. He kept her bound most of the time only feeding her water and food when necessary. Itsuki had started absorbing the knowledge in the scrolls as soon as he recovered. He showed his talent in medical when he could easily understand and carry out all the theories and jutsu in the scrolls. Emperor kept on sneaking into the village and out with more scrolls. There were many times he was caught but he always escaped with only a few minor injuries. It had become a training practice to him. They moved from one hidden location to another, never letting the guards of the villagers find them. _

_Two months flew by without any of them noticing. Soon, there were no more scrolls to steal. Bored out of his mind when he discovered that the justu he could learn were limited, Emperor decided it was time to leave. He signalled to the more confident Itsuki._

_"We will be leaving now. The scrolls I have stolen are all here. Hopefully, we will not cross path again. Ja!" He waved to the woman and walked away with Itsuki and Kage following close behind._

_-End Flashback-_

_To be continued..._

_A/N: I can't find the Japanese translation of 'paralyse'. That's why I put the English word as the name. So, if any of you can find the suitable name for me, I will be vey grateful. Now, review please and tell me what you think of this chapter!_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: To AlcanthaMayira, thanks you very much for your effort to find the translation of the word 'paralyse'. I really appreciate it. Thanks. For those who were very curious about the pairings, I just want to say...continue reading and you will find out! Hahaha... I'm so evil. To Blackrosebunny, about what you commented on the ussage of Japanese words in the stories, I took this way of writing to give the story a more concrete feelings. I do not know how to explain. I have read a fanfiction where the writer wrote it in pure English and it just did not give me the right feeling. It was very foreign. I don't like it. Hope you understand. To all readers, I'm very sorry for the late update. But here you are - the new chapter! Enjoy!

Emperor stared at the looming gate of Konoha. As it got bigger, his feet felt heavier. He really wished he could just turn and walk away. Yet even if his mind could be convinced that turning back was the best for him and his village, he wouldn't have stopped. Somehow, he felt compelled to continue on. The troop stopped right before the guards. He looked up at the gate, bitter memories sinking their claws into his mind.

-Flashback-

"Wait here."

"Emperor?" Itsuki asked, surprised. Weren't they going in together? At the blank look on Emperor's face, he started to get worried. Lately, Emperor had been smiling more. More accurately, Emperor had been more cheerful since they had met Shin. Even Shin had started to smile on rare occasions.

"I have some business here. We won't stay. I want you to wait for me here," Emperor said. There wasn't even once when he took his gaze off the ominous gate of the village not far ahead. All the while, a question repeated in his head – what was he doing here? "I won't be long," he reassured both Itsuki and Shin. Throwing a soothing smile at them, he started walking in the direction of Konoha's gate.

His fists tightened when he was stopped by the guards. Was he discovered? Would they throw him out again? Or would they attack and kill him on the spot?

"What is your business here?" one of the guards asked sternly.

Emperor let out a discreet breath of relief. Right, he shouldn't worry too much. How could they recognize him when he was no longer that stupid loud-mouth? "I'm a traveller. I will only stop for a couple of hours for some food and rest," he said in a steady voice.

The guards hesitated for a few seconds. Seeing as he did not seem dangerous nor did he bring any weapons with him, they let him through.

He had only taken a step into the village when the locked doors to his memories opened to let the flood of memories washed over him. He could remember all the times he was standing here with his team-mates, getting ready for their missions outside the village. It was a happy time. It would have brought a fond smile onto his face if he did not remember the last time he was here, he was on a stretcher. As he walked further in, more memories bombarded him. They were always pleasant at first like the times he ran through this street when he tried to escape from the enraged victims of his pranks. Then, the memories would turn bitter. They always ended with the day he was banned. Suddenly, he was jolted out of his reminiscing when someone bounded right into him. He was too unprepared to stop his fall.

A hand dangled in front of his eyes. He turned his head up. His thought clammed up at the face before him – Kakashi-sensei.

"Sorry bout that," Kakashi apologized to the boy before him. When the boy did not take his offered hand, he withdrew it sheepishly. "My student is very clumsy."

"Sensei! I'm not clumsy. He's the one standing in my way!" Konohamaru yelled only to get bonked on the head by his team-mate. "Ouch! Moegi, what did you do that for?"

"Apologize! You're the one at fault," she scolded while gobbling up the sight of the handsome boy on the ground.

Emperor finally reacted. He felt a pang in his heart when he realized that none of them had recognized him. Even though he had expected this, reality was still hurtful when confronted. He stood up slowly and walked away from the group without turning back. In the background, he could still hear the arguing voices of the three genin.

He wondered aimlessly around until he caught sight of a familiar stall. That was the one place in Konoha where no bad memories haunted him. He strode purposefully over. Choosing the regular seat his past self would have chosen, he ordered a bowl of miso ramen. Anticipation bubbled in him. It had been a long time since had tasted ramen – since…. His chest tightened. The smile that would have broken out disappeared before it made an appearance.

"Two miso ramen," a nostalgic voice ordered.

Emperor's head swivelled to the side to stare in shock at the sensei he had missed. He wanted so much to call out but he restrained himself at the memories of Kakashi and the three genin to him. He hung his head in defeat. Thousands of needles pricked his heart. _Iruka-sensei would not recognize me_, he told himself. _It was enough knowing that both Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei are safe_, he tried to sound reassuring in his own head.

"Sensei, I want more than one bowl. I'm a growing boy, you know," a childish boy whine.

"You can order more later but I'll only pay for the first bowl," Iruka told his student.

Emperor once again looked up to look at Iruka-sensei. This time, he saw the boy with him as well. Deja vu. If the boy had blonde hair, blue eyes and the whisker marks, the scene could have come directly from his memories. This time, he could literally feel his heart being sliced open. "I never knew that I could be replaced so easily," he whispered softly. He stood up abruptly and stumbled away. The chair toppled over with a loud bang. Eyes turned to stare at the strangely dazed boy.

Iruka stared at the back of the boy. He could have sworn that he heard the boy muttering something about being replaced but he couldn't be sure. He felt like he should recognize the boy but no name came to mind no matter how hard he tried to search for one in his memories.

"Sensei, what do you think…."

His student's chatters pulled his attention back, the incident shoved into a dark corner of his mind. Chuckling, Iruka replied him.

Emperor stumbled around the street. His eyes were blurry. Tears clung to the edge but he forced them back; he would not cry. The times for tears were long gone. By the time he came to, he realized that he was standing in front of his past self's old apartment – but the building wasn't there. In its place, another new building stood proudly. He stood stoned on the street. A peal of mad laughter escaped his mouth.

"Hahaha….." he chocked on the last note. Stopping as abruptly as he began, he stared at the building. If one was to look at his face now, they would have mistaken him for a beautiful cold statue. His face was devoid of any emotions. His eyes were dead.

Emperor turned around and walked towards the gate. He had confirmed one thing – Uzumaki Naruto was truly dead. He was Emperor.

"I will not have my existence erased so easily," he swore.

That was the day he lost his smile and found something else in its place – ambition.

-End Flashback-

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shin peeked at Emperor's impassive face from the corner of his eyes. The smile on his face tightened. He turned his attention back to the gate. It was very fresh in his mind the significance of this place – the place he lost his warm smiling saviour to.

-Flashback-

"Wait here," Emperor suddenly ordered.

Shin stared at Emperor. _Wait?_

"Emperor?" Itsuki asked.

"I have some business here. We won't be staying. I want you to wait for me here," Emperor explained.

Shin stared until the figure disappeared from sight. He wanted very much to follow the departing figure but Emperor's order remained in his mind. He would wait.

It felt like an eternity when Emperor finally returned. Before they could see his face, Shin already knew that something's changed. By the time Emperor was near enough, Shin realized what the change was – there was no smile, no emotions.

The next few days, as they travelled, Shin waited patiently for Emperor to revert back. It was only a month later that he finally accepted that it was not going to happen. At that moment of realization, something broke in his heart – the first person that offered him a true smile would never smile at him again. It was so wrong – how could the person that had taught him how to smile not smile again?

"You should smile more. You look nicer when you smile." Emperor's words rang in his ears. The tug of an awkward smile appeared on his face. Slowly, it developed into a fully bloomed smile. He would continue smiling. One day, Emperor would repeat that praise to him. That was what he told himself and also what he believed. He would wait for the day the smiles on Emperor's face returned.

-End Flashback-

In the beginning, it was difficult to maintain the smile. At times, he would revert back to the stoic person he was before but every time he saw Emperor, he would again be reminded of what he had decided and his smiles would return. As time passed by, he discovered that there were many types of smiles – evil smirks, malicious smiles, flirty smiles, mysterious smiles, warm smiles, etc. Soon, smiling became an integrated part of him.

At the same time, he learned to be more outgoing from all his attempts to make Emperor smile, which quickly turned into attempts to make him show any types of emotions.

Although none said it out loud straight to his face, Shin knew that all the villagers and even the congress members thought that he was too obsessed. However, he did not care what they think of him. They had never seen the smiling Emperor; they would never understand how he felt. He was not sure that Itsuki or even he understood. The one thing he knew for sure was that, to him, Kagekagure did not matter nor did any of the villagers. All that he cared about was Emperor and probably on a very much smaller scale, Itsuki. If that was obsession, then so be it.

"Please come with me. Godaime-sama wants to meet you," one of the guards said politely.

As their guide led them into the village, Shin swore to himself that he would never let this village destroy more of Emperor – his Emperor.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_The black figure watched coldly as his victim fell onto the ground – dead. This was the last of the rich lords of this village – Kagegakure._

_Seeing as their master was killed so effortlessly, the servants tried to run for their lives but one by one, they were killed mercilessly by two other black figures._

_Not even half an hour later, the three figures strode away from the crime scene casually. _

_Although it was probably only two in the morning and the sky was still so dark, dozens of the villagers were watching silently from behind the doors of their dilapidated huts. _

_It was about two months ago when the three strangers strode into their village which had not received any visitors for as long as the oldest of them could remember. Thus, the sudden arrival of the three strangers had drawn the villagers' attention – even the lords that were sucking the village dry._

_At first, the three strangers did nothing. They chose to live in an abandoned hut as there was no inn to be found. Usually, the villagers had to scrap through the barren lands of their small village for any sort of food since none dared to brave the dangerous forest and the sea was off-limit as decreed by the lords. Day by day, they watched with watering mouths as the strangers brought back animals from the forest to be roasted yet none of them dared to approach them for some. All of them waited a few feet away outside the strangers' hut for scraps of leftovers or even bones which they would fight over._

_A week went by before one of the lords sent his servants to the door of the strangers' hut to collect the ridiculous tax. The villagers watched with scared eyes as the bullies tried to push the strangers around. However, they returned to their lords empty-handed. Starting that day, more servants would come and knock on the door of the strangers, and each time, they returned with nothing. The villagers were somewhat relieved to have the lords' attentions turned to the strangers instead of themselves but they knew this would not last long._

_Soon, the expected violence started. At first, it was only a broken door or pushing the strangers around. Then it turned into burning their things down when they were not around. The villagers watched on helplessly. They could not even save themselves so how could they help? Even if they could, none would do it. They had been living in this kind of life for so long that they knew not how to reciprocate the harsh treatments heaped upon them and their families. _

_These went on for three days before one of the rich lords was finally fed up and ordered for the apprehension of the strangers. The villagers watched silently as they were dragged off to the mansion. They knew from experience that the strangers would be thrown into the dungeon and tortured into submission. _

_What the villagers did not expect was for the strangers to be back in their hut the next day. When the news of the death of the lord and his servants reached them, they were shocked. They could only come up with one conclusion. Fear of the strangers was being born in them._

_Each day just as the sun came up, the news of the demise of another lord and his servants would travel to the villagers' ears. Their eyes started to follow the strangers in terror. They would have run but where could they go. Even when they were dying from starvation they stayed. However, as none of the innocent villagers were killed, hope began to war with their fear. Perhaps the strangers would help them. Perhaps they could finally live in peace. They started to look at the strangers with hopeful yet frightened eyes. Would the strangers be their saviours or their executioners? _

_Finally, the last of the lords was killed. The villagers peeped at the strangers that were striding from the direction of the mansion. The golden hue of the rising sun presented a very angelic picture to the villagers._

_Slowly, one by one, the villagers stepped out of their huts. Seeing that the braver ones were unhurt, more came out. Together, they gathered around the strangers._

_"From today onwards, this is my village and you are my people. Those that wish to leave are welcomed to do so. Those that wished to stay will obey me for my words are law."_

_Had they exchanged one hell for another? Or were they truly saved? None of the villagers knew the answers but none opted to leave. Saviours or executioners, they had made their choice and there was no going back. _

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for your support and reviews. Now that you have read this chapter, review!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimers: Refer to the first page.

A/N: Thank you, Blackrosebunny, for pointing out the mistake. I really appreciate it. I hope all of you will help me with the grammar and spelling of my fanfiction. Now, on with the story! Oh, before I forget, please read my A/N at the end of this chapter cause I need your help with something.

The walk from the gate of Konoha to the tower was a short one but due to the stares of the villagers that had stopped all their activities, it felt like ages before they finally arrived. Leaving behind the large troop outside the tower, only four followed their guide in.

Shin had his eyes fixed on the back of the guide. A very mysterious smile was on his face. Anyone who looked at him now would probably come to one conclusion: Shin knew something secret about the Konoha guard turned guide.

The person being stared at by the Diplomat of Kagekagure tried very hard to act ignorant and he was successful for the most part. Zen stared straight ahead and strode towards the tower purposefully. He was really the professional guide on the outside. However, in his mind, a very huge question appeared repeatedly. _Had he been found out?_ He was sure that he had been very careful and discreet. After excusing his team and himself, he chose a deserted alley nearby and changed his appearance manually without using any jutsu. Even his team-mates admitted that they wouldn't be able to recognize him had they not known beforehand. With the cooperation of the guards at the gate, he was able proclaim himself as one of them and volunteered to be the guide for the foreign troop. He had hoped that they would let their guard down a bit with a new face since his team had failed all this while. He truly regretted his decision; he had to endure the stare of the man he had come to hate more than anything.

Following close behind the guide was Itsuki. He was in the same condition as the former. The prickling feeling of being observed ate at him. A glance from the corner of his eyes confirmed that neither Shin nor Emperor seemed to be affected, unless one took into account of the sly smile on Shin's face. Maintaining his relaxed friendly front, he casually took in his surrounding. Compared to their own tower on Kage-I, this was certainly one that showed the wealth and power of Konoha. Unlike the simple decorations, Konoha employed an elegant and sophisticated style. However, for those who were observant enough, they would find that not even a single thing in this building was there only as an ornament. This place could be considered a fortress more than the Administrative Centre.

Soon, they reached a hall that has glass cases encasing what looked to be forbidden scrolls. None of the cases were locked though. Anyone with a bit of brain would know that these were only traps.

Inwardly, Itsuki wondered what the use of this trap was since he did not think that anyone would fall into this trap unless they were either stupid or just naïve children.

"This one looks like a nice scroll. May I have a look?" Shin suddenly commented, breaking the tense silence. Without waiting for an answer, he took the scroll out of the case.

"No…!" Zen's warning came too late.

Alarms sounded loudly. Startled, Shin dropped the scroll. Just as he bent down to pick it up, holes opened in the wall and dozens of kunai flew out at high speed. If he was still standing straight, he would be dead or at the very least – badly injured.

A troop of guards appeared, ready to catch the intruders. Once there, they froze uncomprehendingly; there were no intruders or thieves but foreign guests. One was even bent down picking up the fallen scroll. At the signal from the guide with the foreigners, they retreated.

"Ah, luckily the scroll is fine," Shin commented with what could either be interpreted as a silly grin or a satisfied sly smile. He opened the scroll. "Why! It's only an empty one. Hmmm…I guess no one would actually display useful scrolls in plain sight." Letting out an exaggerated sigh of disappointment, Shin put the scroll back. "Oh, well…I guess I have to formally request for the chance to look at the scrolls Konoha has."

Itsuki was very tempted to roll his eyes at the fake 'stupid/innocent' act of Shin. According to what he knew of the fox, he would say that Shin deliberately planned the whole prank. Sometimes, he could be so childish.

"Please don't touch anything," Zen said through gritted teeth. He knew that the smiling Diplomat deliberately did that. He repeated the mantra 'I must not kill a guest' in his head. "If you would follow me…Hokage-sama's office is near."

"Hm…" Shin's smile widened at the sight of their guide's tightened fists. Deliberately, he casually stared at the array of kunai stuck in the opposite walls. He gave a dramatic gasp of surprise. "When and where did those appear from? I was sure they were not there before. Konoha is truly a village full of surprises."

Seeing the different shades of colours the guide's face had turned, Itsuki threw Shin a warning glare, which did not seem to have any effect on the Diplomat at all. With an apologetic smile, Itsuki tried to distract the enraged guard, "We have dallied long enough. Your Hokage is still waiting."

Zen gave a grunt of agreement and continued showing the way in obviously hurried steps; if they walked any faster, they would be running. As the door with two guards at the sides reached his sight, Zen gave a mental sigh of relief. He could finally be rid of the smiling devil. All the way, he could practically taste the bitter feeling of being laughed at. "Inform the Hokage that Kage-sama from Kagekagure is here."

A few seconds later, they were ushered into the office. Piles and piles of documents staked on the desk were the first thing to be registered in their minds.

Itsuki, who had developed an extreme liking for neatness during the years he had spent as Emperor's secretary, frowned at the messy sight.

"Godaime-sama…" Zen called out and respectfully bowed towards the high piles of files.

A young beautiful blonde woman stood up from behind the files. She might seem composed but a good observer would be able to see the weariness in her eyes. "I am the Godaime of Konoha. Welcome to my village."

Itsuki nodded politely. He took the initiative to introduce their group. "This is our Kage-sama, Shin is the Diplomat, and I am Itsuki, Kage-sama's secretary." He deliberately left out the last of their group, their true leader, Emperor.

Tsunade noticed that one of the people in front of her was not introduced. A discreet glance at the handsome man later, she came to the conclusion that he was a bodyguard for their leader. The way he carried himself – with confidence – and the alert stance, the way his eyes took in everything that was happening around him – they all pointed to that fact. Besides, his omission of being introduced and the submissive stance spoke louder than words that he was not someone of importance. However, this man gave birth to the suspicion of the supposedly 'helpless-village' image.

Using her knowledge as a medic nin, Tsunade discreetly checked the chakra of the four people in front of her. To her surprise, their chakra was so weak that she wouldn't have paid any heed to their presences if they were to blend in with the villagers. Unlike trained shinobi, their chakra did not seem to be consciously controlled. In fact, it was almost as if they were born with such weak chakra but that was definitely impossible. Their weak chakra could only apply to one other explanation – they were dying. Yet, that was not a logical explanation as well. One, they looked healthy. Second, they would not be able to move an inch let alone walk and talk if that was the case.

Suddenly, Tsunade's eyes narrowed and hooked onto Kage's face; his was the weakest but also familiar to her. Since his chakra was so faint, she couldn't be sure. Now, as she observed the man, she was almost one hundred percent sure that Kage was the missing boy who she loved like a brother. He might not have the marks but the blonde hair and the blue eyes plus the similar chakra placed the last nail in the coffin.

Itsuki was very tempted to shift his feet nervously. It appeared that the woman in front of them had figured out something.

Shin's sharp eyes took in the sudden slight widening of the Godaime's eyes as the conclusion of Kage's identity dawned on her. If he was anyone but himself, the tension would have wiped the smile off his face. "Hokage of Konoha, I hope that this meeting can be postponed to future date. We have been on the road for weeks." The reprimand was very clear in his voice. "She doesn't even think to offer us seats. How rude can one be?" he added under his breath – soft enough to be considered talking to himself but loud enough for the occupants in the room to hear.

Zen bristled silently. He did not dare to speak up for his leader because he knew it would only humiliate Godaime-sama further.

Tsunade forced her eyes towards the smiling face. Her instincts screamed at her not to trust the guy. Immediately, the shock of her discovery was washed off from her face and the professional leader returned. She ignored the last two sentences and nodded. "Your guide here shall show you to Hyuga mansion." She paused as she saw the grimace on Zen's face. An idea occurred to her. Searching her mind for a fake name, she found one. "Dai here shall be your guide for however long you stay here in our village. If you need anything at all, please feel free to request. We hope you will enjoy your stay here." As much as she would like to ask outright to confirm what she had figured out, she still needed to act in the best interest of Konoha.

Zen stared at the village leader disbelievingly. Fate couldn't be so cruel as to treat him like this. No matter how hard he denied it, he still accepted the order grudgingly. After all, these were all for his beloved village.

At that moment, three knocks on the door alerted those in the room to a new presence outside aside from the two guards.

A flash of dislike flashed through the Hokage's face. It was gone as fast as it appeared but still - it was caught by those in the room. Itsuki and Shin were curious about the newcomer. They would prefer to stay and observe; however, Emperor's words immediately killed their plan.

"Kage-sama, the others are still waiting for our return." Emperor had felt the familiar chakra outside and he immediately knew who it belonged to – the person he had once called best friend plus rival.

At once, Itsuki and Shin stood up followed by Kage. Just at that time, the door opened and a handsome man walked in. Shin and Itsuki immediately turned to stare at him. They instantaneously recognized who he was: the main survivor of the famous Uchiha-massacre who turned traitor before coming back to the very village he had betrayed.

Itsuki was the first one to recover. Nodding politely at the future Rokudaime of Konoha, he calmly took the first step towards the open door just behind the handsome Uchiha. Following closely behind was Kage.

Just as Sasuke's eyes fell upon the familiar face, they widened slightly in shock. Recognition could be seen clearly in the pair of Sharingan eyes. However, only a second later, realization set in and all emotions were wiped off his face and eyes.

Shin's eyes took in all the expressions; they narrowed in suspicion. He had a bad feeling about this man. Looking at the Sharingan user with his usual smile on, he followed Itsuki's example and walked past him steadily even though he wanted very much to turn around and make sure that Emperor was alright.

Sasuke mentally frowned. At the look from the smiling guy, he could feel the well-hidden hatred. He was sure he had never seen this man before. His contemplation was broken as the last person of the group of four walked past him out the door. At that millisecond, he froze but he recovered equally fast. His mind did not register the Konoha shinobi bowing to him in respect before following the troop out. As the door closed behind him with a gentle 'thud', a small smile tugged at the future Rokudaime's mouth.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Up high on the Hokage monument, a lone figure stood calmly looking down at the village. From up there, the buildings seemed so small and the humans were just like ants. At one glance, the busy village looked very peaceful. But if one looked closely, one could see the tight security and felt the excitement tinged with deep-seated fear.

_Perhaps there really was no true peace wherever man settled, _Emperor concluded. His attention was attracted towards the part he had tried to avoid looking at: Team 7 usual training ground. It might seem like a small field from up here yet he still instinctively avoided looking at it. Finally, his gaze settled on the training ground. Memories of a blond boy with whisker marks smiling widely flashed through his mind. That was a happy period for Naruto but it was short-lived, ending with Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha.

Emperor closed his eyes. If there was anyone near enough, they would have caught the flash of pain and longing in his eyes before they were covered by his eyelids. Emperor had to admit that seeing Uchiha Sasuke was more a shock than he had expected. He knew years ago that the Uchiha survivor had returned to the village. He had thought that he would be fine – that it wouldn't hurt so much since he had mentally prepared himself for their meeting all this time but most importantly, since he was not Naruto. Today, he realized how wrong he was. It still hurt as much as that day – the day he heard the news of Sasuke returning to Konoha.

-Flashback-

Knock! Knock!

Emperor stopped his work and looked up from the document he was reading. "Come in!"

The door opened to reveal the smiling face of Shin. Emperor was a little surprised to see him. Shin would not leave Kage's side to see him if it was not important.

"It had been nearly a year since we took over this village," Shin started.

"Hn…"

"And three years since yo…Uzumaki Naruto left _that_ village," Shin continued, the smile on his face tightening a little.

"…" Emperor was shocked at the unexpected mention of the name and the insinuated village. A negative feeling appeared in his heart. Whether it was hatred, worries, irritation, or what – he did not know. The only thing he knew was that he did not want to feel it.

"I had just received news." Shin observed the emotionless face before him. How he wished to see even a little bit of emotion on that face. "Uchiha Sasuke had returned to Konohagakure," he dropped the bomb.

Emperor nearly forgot to breath but he managed to push his shock and panic away. He repeated to himself that he was Emperor, not Naruto. Emperor had no connection to that village. Emperor would feel nothing for that village or anything to do with it.

Shin had expected…he did not know what he expected. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't the fast-as-lightning flash of panic in the eyes of his saviour. At that moment, he felt as if someone had squeezed his heart tightly but soon the feeling receded as Emperor returned to the poker-faced man that he was familiar with. "He returned willingly and the village accepted him back with open arms. He is now the apprentice of Konoha…" Shin did not manage to finish his sentence as Emperor did it for him.

"And the future Rokudaime," Emperor said in a whisper loud enough for the other occupant in the room to hear.

A long moment of silence settled between the two figures in the room. Both were lost in their own thoughts; neither appeared to have the wish to disturb the tense silence.

Finally, Emperor was the first to speak, "If that's all…"

Shin nodded and stood up. When he was near the door, he stopped. With his hand on the doorknob and his back to Emperor, he asked, "What do you think Naruto would feel about this news?" He waited for a long time; there was no answer. Just as he was about to give up and moved to step out of the room, he heard it.

"He would be envious but he would not begrudge his best friend of the chance." Emperor stared out the large window. Without looking at Shin or needing him to voice it out, he could feel the question hovering between them: _What about you?_

It was a question he had no answer to. It was also a question that he did not dare to acknowledge.

-End Flashback-

At the sound of footsteps closing in on him, Emperor opened his once-again-emotionless eyes. Turning his head slightly to the right, his eyes met those of the unwelcome newcomer. It was a pair of red eyes. Three dots of commas could be seen swirling crazily in them.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for reading! Just to clarify something - I already have the whole plot in my mind plus the ending. However, I hope you can help me with this little tiny survey I am conducting. Can you review and vote for whoever you think should end up with Naruto?

Shin

Itsuki

Sasuke

or whoever else you think plausible.

Thank you very much for your help! By the way, please tell me what you think of this chapter. I try to lighten the mood of this story. My friend said that it's too dark. However, the humor section is also part of the plot of this story. So, it's not filler. Just thought that I should clear this up! Now, review and vote!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimers: Refer to the first page.

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update. My computer crashed and I had just gotten it reformatted yesterday. Been in a gloom so couldn't even find the mood to rewrite this chapter. Luckily it's not damaged. By the way, a lot of you voted for Shin, which I'm very happy with, cause it means you love my OC. (Smiles widely) To know how this story ends though, you will have to read till the end. Before I forget, your vote is only for survey, so please don't expect the pairing to end the way you want, ok? On with the story...

The hue of sunset shed an orangey tinge over the plane. Dusk had been compared to sadness for centuries due to the melancholy atmosphere it produced. It was the time many living creatures returned to their nests after a trying day of survival, including humans. However, looking at the vigorous villagers that dotted the surface of Earth, it was hard to imagine that they were anything but busy.

Flocks of black birds flew over the area either looking for food or returning to their shelters. The sounds they made were swallowed by the wind, long lost before reaching the ground.

Far up the mountain, where carved the faces of all the Hokage of Konoha, two figures stood facing each other in silence, neither noticed when the gentle wind caressed their selves, their hair dancing to the tune of the breeze and their clothes waltzing along.

Emperor stared into the pair of Sharingan eyes, unsure of what his next course of action should be. He had to resort to chanting in his head that he was not Uzumaki Naruto but Emperor. He knew he should just ignore the unwanted presence and walked away, which was what he had been about to do before he saw him, but he couldn't force his legs to move. They refused to follow the orders from his chaotic mind, having a will of their own to simply remain rooted to the spot.

In the space of the time his inner struggles occurred, the Uchiha survivor had walked over and was already standing just a couple of inches next to him. Emperor forced himself to give a curt nod and walked away. Just as when his leg finally successfully fought against the force of gravity, the future Hokage's voice stopped him in his track.

"It's so deceptively peaceful from up here."

Retracting, Emperor turned around to look at the scenery before them. "There is no peace where lives are." It was said with a calm tone, showing his conviction in his own words.

Silence settled between them. Only the howls of the wind could be heard. It stretched for a full minute before broken.

"I had thought of many different scenarios of us meeting again."

Silence.

"But none consists of you as the guard of another village."

More silence.

"Welcome back." Sasuke turned sideway to stare at the still figure beside him, a ghost of a smirk on his mouth. "Dobe," he added.

It was a whisper. A very soft whisper that was immediately carried away by the wind. But not before reaching Emperor's sensitive ears.

Emperor stirred at the familiar nickname. He decided to ignore it and focused on the rest of the sentence. "Back?" Emperor's eyes met the Sharingan with one of his eyebrow lifted. "Here?"

Even though there was no expression on the guard of Kagekagure's face nor was there anything to indicate his feelings on the sentence Sasuke uttered, somehow, Sasuke still managed to catch the unvoiced sarcasm. The smirk faded from his face. He turned away from the emotionless visage. He knew with all of his essence that the man beside him was the same Dobe that had stupidly tried to stop him 13 years ago. He might look completely different and his personalities seemed to be poles apart from olden days, but he just knew that he was Naruto, his Dobe. He would recognize him no matter how much he changed. Yet….. "I have not given up on my revenge."

There was no reply.

"But I have learned my lesson."

More silence.

Sasuke did not give up. "Revenge is still important to me. Someday, I will kill him." His fists tightened at his own vow.

Still more silence.

Sasuke looked straight into the blue eyes that whispered of so much suffering. "But not at the expense of my own future." He turned away from the alien face back to the scenery stretched below.

"I had never believed you were dead," Sasuke whispered suddenly. "I know we will meet somewhere someday."

Emperor stared, not an ounce of emotion on his face or in his eyes.

"I knew I would be able to recognize you no matter how much you would have changed." Sasuke's eyes meet the pair of cold blue straight on. "I lo…."

"I'm not Uzumaki Naruto," Emperor cut him off quickly. This time, it was him that looked away. "From the report I received, he was dead thirteen years ago." He needed to leave! Now! The first step was the hardest but he made it. Two steps….three….four…. After the tenth, he stopped. Even without turning back to take a look, he knew that the main survivor of the Uchiha clan would have his back to him, looking at the village below them. "Forget the dead," he threw the advice at the other man, never once looking back.

The softening sounds of footsteps walking away reached his ears. When he felt the presence gone, he closed his eyes.

It was Naruto. Of this, he was sure. Yet….

A weary sigh escaped. His eyes opened. "I need to get back."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A short distance from the edge of the mountain, a large boulder stood firmly, hiding the man behind it.

A pair of hands was fisted so tightly the nails had sunk into the palms. A few drops of blood dripped onto the ground.

A thin trail of blood trickled down the corner of the man's mouth; it was from the cut made by his own teeth.

Shin's body was shaking as if in cold. However the faint killing aura stated otherwise. He was so focused on the sight before him to notice his condition.

"Shin."

Shin felt a warm hand landing on his shoulder. He knew who it was. Immediately, he relaxed his muscles. The mad swirling of the comas in his eyes stopped before disappearing. He turned around, dislodging the hand. "You gave me a scare, Itsuki," he said with a teasing tone.

Itsuki's eyes narrowed with worries. He stared at the ever-present smile on Shin's face. His eyes landed upon the thin trail of blood at the corner of the silver-haired man.

"Aa…This?" Shin wiped off the blood. "Just a shallow wound."

At the action, Itsuki saw the condition Shin's hands were in. He let out an audible sigh. "Drop the act." He started healing the wounds, never looking straight at his patient.

Uneasy silence cocooned the two as the healing process begun. As the last of the wounds closed, leaving behind no trace of it, Itsuki took a step back, putting a more comfortable distance between them. He knew that Shin would only truly take off his thick layers of masks in the presence of Emperor. Even that was very rare as well.

At that moment, the future Hokage of Konoha came into their lines of vision. Both Shin and Itsuki stared at him; Shin with a smile and Itsuki a nod.

It was clear when Sasuke noticed them. His step hesitated a millisecond. His body stiffened a little. His eyes narrowed slightly. He recovered fast though. Ignoring the two foreigners, he walked away with his head held high, his steps sure – as arrogant as ever.

However, inside of him was another story. He could not believe that he did not notice the two men. Had he been so preoccupied? Had his skills deteriorated so much from all the meetings he was forced to attend and the paperwork he had to do? Or were the two men above his level? Neither possibilities sat well with him. "I need to train," he muttered under his breath. His strides became determined.

As the back of the Uchiha disappeared from their views, Itsuki continued staring at the empty space. "I saw him following Emperor."

Shin leaned casually against the surface of the boulder.

"I saw you as well." Itsuki turned his attention back to his companion.

Shin's smile widened. He could hear the unspoken accusation. "But you still chose to tag along."

"I was worried." Itsuki sighed heavily. "I still am," he added softly, almost to himself.

Silence followed the admission.

"Do you think he knows?"

Shin did not need to ask who 'he' was or what this 'he' knew. He raised his right eyebrow slightly, as if asking, 'Do you even need to ask?'

"I wonder why he allowed us to continue spying on him."

"Saa…" Shin raised his smiling face to look at the tiny black dots flying up high in the sky; his smile indicated a plot running through his head.

Itsuki gave Shin a look that warned of danger. "Don't, Shin. We should not interfere. Emperor will make his own decision."

Shin maintained the scary smile for a few seconds before it visibly turned sad. "I won't interfere." _Even as much as I want to. _

Itsuki stared at the smiling face before him. After so many years, he still did not understand Shin. A sigh escaped his lips. "We have better head back."

Together, both men strolled leisurely down the mountain, through the market, back to the Hyuuga estate.

When they were some distance away from the prying eyes of the villagers, Itsuki suddenly stopped Shin in a deserted clearing.

Shin's smile never dropped. He stared questioningly at the other man.

"Do you love him?"

If Shin was shocked by the sudden question, he did not show it. "Saa…..Do you?"

Itsuki stiffened. Did he? He stared into the eyes of the devil before him as if searching for something. In the end, he averted his gaze.

"He is the reason I lived and still continue living. I…love him…." Itsuki looked away from the sharp eyes of his companion. "….like family…" he ended the sentence faintly. Turning abruptly away from Shin, he said in a strained voice, "I'll go first." With that, he picked up his pace, leaving Shin behind. The heat of his stare burned his back but he dared not look back.

When the Hyuuga mansion came into vision, he slowed down. A smile here, a smile there, finally, he was in the room assigned to him. As soon as the door closed behind him, all pretence of politeness disappeared. He dropped onto the soft bed and flung his right arm over his forehead, covering his eyes from view.

A drop of shiny tear escaped, trailing down, disappearing into his hair and onto the bed, making a darker path on the cover.

"………….." His lips moved but no sound was produced. It was a sentence from the deepest part of his heart. It never reached the owner's ears, lost before voiced.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Silence. It echoed through the whole island. It rang in everyone's ears. It was deafening. Even Mother Nature seemed to hold her breath, waiting._

_With the hundreds of people gathered in the centre of the on-going constructions, it was a miracle that they could be so silent. _

_Confusion was thick in the air surrounding these people. Something had happened and none of them knew how to react._

_Emperor stood on the make-shift stage, looking out at the crowd before him calmly. After what he had just announced, he should feel like a lamb waiting for execution. Instead, he felt nothing but calmness. In fact, there was not even an ounce of anxiety in him. Was it because he was confident? Or was it because he already knew the outcome? It was neither. The reason was simple; he could not bring himself to care. He had an ambition and he was going to succeed……….no matter the price._

_A glance around would reveal the state the new town was in; it was in the middle of construction. On this very island he had founded. It had been a year since he had taken over this village. It was a very long one year but they had come far. In this one year time, Kagegakure had become a liveable place for them. Soon it would be more than just liveable._

_Emperor looked straight at the villagers. "As I announced before, I used to be Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi. Although it's no longer inside of me, it's still very much tied to my close, and thus, to me." He made a thorough sweep of all the people gathered. None of them looked away. "I'm telling you this not because I hope for your understanding nor am I asking for your forgiveness for a non-existing wrong-doing. I stand here today, entrusting you with my secret. I'm asking you whether you can continue to trust me to lead you to a better future."_

_Still nothing. Not a verbal answer. Nor a look of disgust. Only uneasiness showed in their stances._

_"No matter what, I'll follow you to the end of the world," finally someone spoke up. It was Takumi. He stood bravely out of the crowd and knelt down in a submissive stance. _

_Seeing a young child being so assertive in his decision, the others followed suit. Soon, one by one, the crowd knelt down. Before long, not a single person remained standing except for Emperor. Even Shin and Itsuki had knelt down._

_It was a historical moment that would be remembered for many decades to come. It should be one to be celebrated. There should be shouts of joy. Yet all that happened was a nod from Emperor, the centre of all attention._

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_"Why did you choose to tell them? You could have kept everything silent. No one would find out."_

_Emperor turned at the voice. In the dimly-lit room, he could not make out the other's expression but he knew he would be smiling. "I have seen what secrets could do. A secret had a way of coming out when you least expect it. I do not plan to build a village just to have it ruined."_

_-Flashback-_

_Emperor stared horrified at the scene before him. In the months he had travelled with Itsuki, he had seen many horrors, but this was the first time he saw a mother killing her own son._

_In front of him was a woman who used to be so gentle, warm and loving, not only to her husband and son, but also them, guests she had invited to stay with her family out of the kindness of her heart. _

_However, that woman seemed to have disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a shell of whom she used to be. Her head lifted woodenly. Her hollow eyes stared at them unseeingly. "I loved him so much. Why? Why did he turn out to be the murderer of my parents? I gave myself to him. I bore him a son. I hate myself."_

_The sentences were said so calmly. Emperor was rooted to the spot._

"_I killed them. The both of them. One was my husband but also my worst enemy. I had sworn upon my parents' graves that I will avenge them should I ever find out who killed them and avenge them I did."_

_Emperor forced the question through the stone that seemed to have lodged itself firmly in his throat. "What about Kisuke? He's your son, an innocent baby."_

"_His blood flowed in his veins. I was only trying to wash it away." A crazy smile had attached itself onto the face of the once beautiful woman._

_Emperor said nothing. He stared at the blood of both the man and the baby, their bodies bathed in the crimson liquid. He directed at his stare back at the ugly demon in front of him whose hands and body was soaked by the evidence of her sins._

_Tears streamed down the woman's face. Sanity returned and with it, unparalleled agony. "What have I done? Kisuke…." She stared frozen at the corpse that used to be her vibrant baby son. Mechanically, she reached for the knife still stuck in the small body and pulled it out._

_Emperor only watched as the pitiful woman finally committed her last act of sin on Earth. He watched as she drew her last breath. He did not know how much time had passed but he never moved from his position until….._

_A gasp rang loudly behind Emperor. He turned around slowly to find Itsuki's face filled with horror. He gave no explanation, only one sentence._

"_Secrets have the worst way of coming out when you least expected them."_

_It was only a couple of days later that they found out the whole story from the villagers. _

_Five years ago, the village suffered greatly from a terrible plague. It attacked the old and weak, giving them an agonizingly slow kiss of death. Many died. There was nothing any of the healers in the village could do._

_At that time, more than half of the population were away from the village. Akiko was one of them. She left behind her wizened parents in the village. Her husband, who was still recovering from a fierce fever, promised to look after them._

_It was not long after the plague stroke that her parents contracted the disease. From that day onwards, there was no peace in the small hut. It was always filled with their moans of pains, mingling with those of the other victims in the village. _

_Finally, Akiko's weak mother could not stand it anymore and begged her son-in-law to release her from this torture. Days after days she begged, joined in by the pleas of her equally suffering husband._

_Benjiro did not have the heart to watch them suffer for a longer period of time because he knew their ends were near. None of the others had survived, so how could they when they were already so old and weak in the first place. In the end, he granted them their wish._

_Their bodies were burned with the rest. Months later, the village was finally free from the evil but the effects remained. None of them could forget what they had resorted to in the end; it seemed Benjiro wasn't the only one to commit merciful killing._

_By the time Akiko and the rest of the villagers came back, they were told of the plague but not the whole story. It would have been the end of the issue if not for a few that could not live with their guilt. They committed suicide after spilling the secret of the horrors they had done._

_In such a small place, words got around. It wasn't long before Akiko heard about it. However, she had never suspected her own husband and Benjiro kept it a secret for all these years. Just when he thought everything would be fine, it came back to hound him. _

_It was a mystery how Akiko found out and it would probably always remain one._

_-End Flashback-_

Till today, he couldn't help but think of the possible endings if Benjiro had just confessed.

To be continued...

A/N: Can you please review and tell me what you think of this chapter? Some of you commented that you do not have enough background on how Sasuke had changed to vote. So, after this chapter, what do you think?


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